Not All Monsters Breathe Fire
by krysta-durin
Summary: Siblings Joshua and Amelia find themselves in Middle Earth amongst the company of a Wizard, a Hobbit and thirteen Dwarves. A story of friendship, finding a new family despite unexpected circumstances and the bravery to protect that family. Romance (Fili/OC, Sigrid/OC) and humour. Rated T for some swearing, violence and very mild suggestive themes.
1. The Monster and The Wizard

**Hello everyone! So, this is my first story/fanfiction, therefore I am very new to this so don't go too hard on the criticism! I am loosely following the plot of the movies in my story, though I am changing parts as I please just to keep it a little bit fresh (even though I am writing a story similar to ones that have been done before; I just wanted to try it out!). I hope you all enjoy :)**

**Note: I'll just say this the once (in case it isn't obvious)- I don't own any of the story or characters besides my OC's, they obviously all belong to Tolkien. **

**AN: THIS STORY IS BEING EDITED. EDITING ONLY EXTENDS UP TO CHAPTER 10 (SO FAR), PLEASE EXCUSE ERRORS IN CONTINUITY UNTIL ALL CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN UPDATED. Thank you :)**

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><p><em>I ran as fast as my feet would carry me. Leaves and twigs crunched below my sneakers, and the bright greens of the forest rushed past my vision in a blur. Only when my feet felt as though they would spontaneously combust, and my chest as though it would explode did I stop. I walked off of the path and sat down, leaning against a tree. My stomach heaved against the physical exertion but I felt better emotionally.<em>

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><p>As a young adult with two decades of limited world experiences under my belt, I had moved out of home at the beginning of the year to study at university interstate. I had never travelled anywhere else. <em>Ever.<em> The furthest I had adventured was a two-star youth recreation facility for a school camp when I was fourteen. It was as much fun as a pubescent teen could have for four days surrounded by teachers at their wits end, and girls who complained about the lack of phone reception.

That was the only trip that I was able to go on, seeing as the school had decided to pay for it. _For friendship building and bond-strengthening_, our teachers had said.

_Right._

Because of my lack of experience, moving out of home was a big deal. It was one transition that I hadn't quite enjoyed as much as I was expecting, despite the various motivations I had for making my own way in the big, bad world.

Motivations that will soon become apparent.

It was the start of Summer when I decided to visit my 'family' home in the outer suburbs of our home city. My father and step-mother lived there, but it was my brother that I was really visiting.

It was already becoming quite hot, but I rather enjoyed the heat of summer. I was at their house this afternoon when the argument started. As it always had, my father was the initiator of it.

"Amelia, Joshua, come and do the dishes _now."_ Dad yelled out.

I was fine with finishing them off, and was already on my way over to helping him. However, my brother had gone to his room after lunch to complete an assignment that was due in two days' time. Josh is seventeen years old and looks very much like me; we both have bright green eyes and chocolate brown hair. However, he is much taller than I am (much to my dismay).

My step-mother was at work, therefore I knew it would be a better idea to help without backchat, to avoid any form of conflict that my father's partner could deter if she were here. After a few minutes of silence, he asked where Josh was. I noted the slight edge to the tone of his voice, and glanced sideways at him. To anyone that wouldn't know him, he looked mostly calm and composed; however, I had the bad luck to know him better. I glanced quickly at his eyes to see a storm brewing behind the dark brown, almost black pupils.

"He has to finish an important assignment that is due on Tuesday", I simply said, carefully treading on what little thin ice I knew there was left.

Suddenly, he dropped the porcelain plate he was holding back into the sink with such a loud '_clang!_' that I jumped. I turned to face him just in time to catch sight of his back as he stormed away. Before he completely disappeared, I heard enough of what he was muttering to know what would come next.

"Ungrateful fucking _children_. I cook them lunch and they can't even help out around the fucking house…" I sighed exasperatedly, my dark brows pulling into a tight frown. Ever since our mother had passed away, when I was eight and Josh was five, our father had changed and not for the better.

It had been few days before Christmas when she had died. Jessica was out buying presents for Josh and I, and I remember the last moment I saw her as clear as day.

"But mum!" I had whined. "Please can I come with you!" My mum had simply smiled and knelt down in front of me.

"Darling, I have to do some _special_ shopping for Joshua, which means that you have to be a big girl and look after him for me while your father is doing house work!"

I folded my arms in front of my chest and pouted, but I knew I had to look after my little brother. "Okay mum, I will," I had said.

She pulled me into her and gave me a great hug as she kissed the side of my head. "I love you, my little sweet pea. Look after Joshua."

She had stood and turned around to walk towards the front door. As she was shutting it closed, she smiled at me with such love and happiness that it lit up the room. And that was the last that I ever saw of her.

After her car accident, my father spiralled. I was so little at the time, but I knew what was happening to him wasn't right. He drank and smoked drugs every night, and I was left to look after Josh. I was so young. He barely paid attention to us and I was the one that would get Josh and myself ready for school every day and walk around the corner to the primary school we were enrolled.

It got slightly better when our father met his current partner when I was twelve, but we still weren't cared for as we had been when our mum was alive.

I was brought back to the present when I heard a tremendous yell from down the corridor. Dropping the plate that was sitting idly in my hands, I ran quickly to my brothers' room. I heard what was happening before I saw it.

"You are an ungrateful piece of shit. You do nothing in this house and expect me to provide for you! Well not anymore!" I heard before I turned the corner.

My father was towering over Josh, and Josh looked terrified. Even though he was taller than our father, I assumed the look in our father's eyes (that which I had seen earlier) was the cause of my brother's withdrawal. He was standing against a wall with a look on his face that screamed _"get me out of here now!"_

Without another moments hesitation, I ran to stand in front of my brother. Yep, I was a hell of a lot shorter than the both of them, but I had stood up to my dad before and I would be damned if I would let him lay a hand on Josh.

"Don't you dare touch him," I growled out beneath a clenched jaw.

Our father hesitated slightly with a look in his eyes that I recognised as regret and confusion. What I did not recognise in time, however, was the smell of alcohol coming off of him. It was too late to do anything more, before I saw the storm in his eyes return and his hand rose to hit.

I couldn't even get a word out before he slapped me in the face with such force that I was slammed sideways against the far wall, my head connecting with the brickwork. My vision was blurred with the injury to my head and the tears that spilled from my eyes. And that was when I ran. I scrambled from the bedroom and down the hallway, out of the front door and into the forest that surrounded our neighbourhood. My feet lead me away from the yells that drifted out behind me, until I could no longer hear them.

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><p>My breathing had slowed down as I lay against the tree, but everything hurt. My head throbbed, my feet were numb with just how long I had run, and I felt utterly sick. My own father had just hit me. I knew that he wasn't the best dad, and I knew that he had neglected us for the most part of our lives.. That was something that I had already accepted a long time ago.. But he had hit me. How could I accept that? How could I justify his actions?<p>

I couldn't.

Tears brimmed my eyes. Even though I knew it made no sense, I felt rejected. It was a feeling that I should have felt all these years, but it was as though it had been bottled up in the darkest corner of my mind, and I was only just experiencing the full brunt of it now.

How could I get through this mess? What could I do? I let the tears fall down my cheeks as my head fell backwards against the trunk of the tree.

My eyes were closed, but I heard the sound of footsteps coming towards me in enough time to jump from where I was and start running again. The sound was getting louder and louder, and the person was so close to catching me as I struggled to stay ahead. I knew that it would be all over if I kept running and the person, who I was suspicious of being my father, caught me. So I turned around on my heel so suddenly that the person ran straight into me and knocked us both over.

"Umph! Ouch, what the hell?" I yelled angrily, as I looked over and saw my brother lying sprawled next to me with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. I just glared at him as he spoke.

"Tag, you're it" he joked, before his grin was replaced by a small smile that showed a touch of pride. "Your fitness is improving! I guess your training is going well." I smiled at him despite our current situation; he always knew how to lighten any situation, and it was something that I appreciated beyond words.

"Yeah, well let me prove it to you by kicking your ass for toppling us both over." While being at university, I had decided to start training in jiu jitsu. The decision was more to train myself in self-defence in case anything happened to me while living by myself; I didn't think that I would need it in my own parents' house. Even that didn't protect me though.

Josh must have noticed my change in mood and the direction of my thoughts, because he quickly snapped me out of my inner monologue.

"Amelia, are you okay?" He put a hand gently to the side of my face that had been slapped by that monster, and he looked over the side of my head that connected with the wall. He grimaced, and I noticed that my temple felt wet.

I looked away from him to the ground and blinked furiously, trying to will away the onslaught of tears that threatened. Standing up quickly to avoid his gaze, I began to walk again, however Josh had other ideas. He grabbed my hand gently and stopped me in my tracks, my back still faced away from him.

"Amelia.. I-You… You shouldn't have stood up to him back there.. I-I know that you are my older sister and you feel like you need to look after me.. But not if you are going to get hurt.."

When Josh said those words, my mothers' voice drifted back through my head. _"I love you, my little sweet pea. Look after Joshua." _Then the dam of tears that were threatening to flood over did exactly that. God damn it. I sighed and turned around to my brother, closing the distance and hugging him as tightly as I could.

"I promised mum I would look after you Josh, and that is exactly what I will keep doing." I smiled despite myself, and added "even if you are two heads taller than me and ten times tougher than me." He chuckled at that, and it was a while before he unwrapped himself from our hug.

"I think we should be getting back to civilisation, though neither of us is going back to _there_." His whole body language had changed, and it was as though he were cowering back against that wall. I could see the fear in his eyes. "Are you going to go back to your apartment at university?" He asked nervously.

I just shrugged. "I don't really know, though it is probably a good idea.. I'm not leaving you here Josh, you do know that, right? You can come and live with me!"

He smiled brightly at me, but as he suddenly looked around the forest his smile faltered. I glanced around too and noticed what he had just realised.

"It's too dark" I murmured. "We left around lunch time, and it was as bright as could be.. Now it's twilight, what's going on?"

Josh looked at me with a worried look on his face. "We should go.. I have a weird feeling about this."

We turned around towards the way we had run, and started walking in silence. After about fifteen minutes, the trees began to clear. We sighed in unison, glad that we were coming back into our suburb. We couldn't have been more wrong. As we stepped out into the clearing, we saw rolling green hills spreading out as far as the eye could see. There was a pond spreading out below and in between the hills, which reflected the beautiful oranges and reds of the setting sun. It was so incredible, don't get me wrong. But it was unfamiliar. I looked above me, and saw the stars coming out in the purple light. But they weren't the stars I recognised.

"Josh, what the hell is going on?" I said slowly. I was starting to panic hard-core, and if not for a voice that called out to our right, I knew I probably would have collapsed from shock.

"Good evening!" The voice called out. Both Josh and I jumped and turned to face the voice to try and figure out who it was. A very tall man, even taller than Josh- seriously? Why do I have to be so short!- was walking over towards us. He wore a large grey hat that reminded me vaguely of Harry Potter, and a light grey cloak that reached the ground. He was an older man, but the energy that flowed off of him made me extremely wary. I looked at his eyes and he seemed wise, though right now he just looked us with curiosity predominant in his expression.

"May I ask who you two may be, then?" Josh and I were still in complete and utter shock, but I was the first to recover. Kind of.

"M-my name is Amelia Cosgrove, a-and this is my b-brother Joshua. And-uh, who the heck are you?" My fear got the better of me and I became a bit more defensive than I needed to be when I asked my question. I was completely aware that I had put myself in between Josh and this giant, to which the old man noticed. His lips turned upwards in a slight smile and there was a glint in his eyes that I couldn't quite pin an emotion to.

"My name is Gandalf the Grey, one of the five wizards of the Istari." He nodded his head slightly to introduce himself. When he looked towards us again, he must have seen our panicked and shocked expressions, because he added "I will not hurt you, do not fret young ones. Where are you from? Your attire displays something not of Middle Earth.."

My jaw dropped. Middle Earth? Gandalf? They were a part of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, I was sure. I wracked my memory to try and remember the films that I had watched once or twice before, but I couldn't recall anything of what I had watched over the years, besides Gandalf and Middle Earth. It was like there was a wall in my head that I couldn't quite get through, and the information wasn't coming to me.

Josh seemed to be having the same inner mental meltdown as I was. He looked up at Gandalf with wide eyes and his mouth opened and closed several times in something reminiscent of a goldfish.

"Gandalf…." He said. Before he could continue, I spoke up to answer the question that was put to us. "Um, yeah, you would be right about that. We were walking in the forest near our house and then we ended up walking out into this place," I said, while I gestured my arm to encompass everything that was in front of us. "I don't know how to explain it. This isn't part of our suburb."

Gandalf just hummed and nodded his head slightly as though he was mulling something over in his mind.

"Well, no point standing around in this chill! I have an acquaintances house nearby that I was on my way to visit. We can talk in more detail about what has happened on the way there. There will be plenty of food, a warm hearth and-"he looked down towards my face pointedly, "-perhaps some ointments to heal your wounds, young lady."

I had almost forgotten about my face and the side of my head. I automatically put my hand to my cheek and regretted it instantly. I hissed slightly in pain; it was swollen and would definitely be bruised. I let out a long sigh, and glanced back to Gandalf, who looked down at me understandingly.

This was all too much though. It had to be some sort of joke, some kind of.. I don't know? But this didn't just happen. I wasn't even sure what this was. And this man, who claimed to be someone that we only knew from books and movies, was telling us that we should follow him to some other random person's house?

I don't think so.

"Yeah, right. Nice one. I don't know what you're playing at, but it isn't funny at all. You have no idea of the shit we have had to put up with today, and to go and do this to us is a sick joke." I glared at the man and grabbed Josh's arm to begin stepping backwards, towards the trees in which we had just emerged.

"Do you know your way back through the forest?" The man asked simply, looking at us which a slight frown on his face. His voice radiated concern more than anything, but it stopped me in my tracks. I looked around me, back into the forest that I thought we had come from.

I knew that it was the place that we had just walked out of, but the trees looked as though they were denser; the light was fading quickly and the darkness seemed to be rolling towards us from the depths of the forest. It honestly gave me the chills, and I knew that we wouldn't be able to find our way back through there.

But how the fuck did this happen in the first place? Surely I had been knocked unconscious, I realised. There was no other explanation. This couldn't be real, it couldn't be.. But everything felt so vivid and genuine. It was unlike any other dream that I had before.

Even though I didn't want to go back to our fathers' house, I looked longingly into the forest. I hoped that something lingered there that was familiar instead of what I had just walked into, or seemingly walked into. I was still trying to understand how the impact of me getting hit against the wall could have caused such a ridiculous delusion, when the man spoke again.

"Please, come with me. I mean you no harm; I only wish to see you both safe and somewhere you are not alone. If you wish to try and find your way back in the morn, then you will be at the least well-rested and well-fed."

I looked at this man nervously. He looked so much like what I managed to recall from the movies, but even then the memories were fading. I was finding it harder and harder to remember anything from them at all, besides the fact that they _were_ movies.

What else could we do though? I had no idea if this was real or not, or where we were, or if this was some prank. My mind was swimming with confusion, and it was hard to stay afloat above it all. I was starting to feel dizzy, not only from my throbbing head but the whole situation at hand. It was Josh that answered him, after I failed to reply.

"Okay. We will come with you, but only because Amelia needs somewhere to rest." He had held tightly onto my forearm then, keeping me steady as I felt unbalanced on my feet.

I looked up at him to see a frown that was engraved into his features. He was looking at me with unease, and back at Gandalf with a deep glare. I realised then that Josh had positioned himself slightly in front of me, as I had done just minutes before.

Gandalf nodded slightly, before he motioned his arm towards a small slope just behind him, in indication to begin walking. We were hesitant, but followed after a few moments.

We walked beside Gandalf along a pebbled pathway that appeared at the base of the slope of grass. We hadn't said another word, until the wizard decided to speak.

"Tell me of what led you here, my friends. Start from the beginning."


	2. An Unbelievable Company

As we walked along in the fading sunlight, we cautiously told Gandalf of the events that transpired that afternoon. The more we spoke, the more comfortable we become.

Comfortable may have been the wrong choice of word though; perhaps it was in our exhaustion, or in our anguish of what had happened that allowed the words to tumble from our mouths, but they did nonetheless.

It was unnerving just how much we revealed to him in such a short time. I had never been so honest with a stranger in my life. We told him about our mother, our fathers spiralling, abuse and his new partner. In the end, we also decided to tell him about the stories that existed where we came from that were based on the place we were currently in. We told him that we could no longer remember the details of said movies and books, however.

Gandalf stayed in silence during our account, absorbing each detail of information that we had told him. After a few minutes of silence while we walked, he finally spoke.

"It is not unheard of, creatures appearing in our world that are of unknown origin, as well as Men, Elves and Dwarves alike disappearing suddenly from this world. Even while being a Wizard, yes, I am unsure of how this magic works. It seems as though it was dumb-luck, or perhaps fate, that you found yourself here in Middle Earth. I, myself, believe the latter; I think that you have been brought here for a reason. However, that reason is unknown to me as of yet.

"I propose to you Miss Amelia, and you Master Joshua, that you accompany me on a quest. Perhaps the answers you are searching for will be found along the way. Do you accept?"

I was having a hard time trying to digest everything Gandalf was saying, especially the part about Dwarves and Elves; was he actually being serious right now? In all honesty I was still trying to decide whether I was suffering a psychotic break, but also considering on grabbing Josh's arm and running as fast as I could in the opposite direction, in case this _was_ somehow real.

In response, I answered his question with another question. Either way I looked at our situation, the uncertainty of how to get back to reality was definitely at the forefront of my mind.

"Is there a way that we can get back to our world? Or are we stuck here?"

Josh looked at me as though I had read his thoughts, and then looked at Gandalf. The old man just sighed. "I am unsure if there is a known and reliable way back to your world. If there is, _I_ certainly have no knowledge of it and I have been around for an age. At this point, Miss Amelia, I would say no there is not."

I didn't know how I felt about that. Was it a metaphor or was this real life? Was it that I had suffered some sort of meltdown that I wouldn't snap out of it, or had we actually somehow come into another world, one which we couldn't leave?

Looking over the place that we were in, I tried to blank my mind in an attempt to take in the surroundings. I could feel the cool evening breeze against my face, neck and shoulders. The sensation did little to relax my frayed nerves in the situation, but I tried to calm myself nonetheless.

The smell of grass and different types of flowers lingered in the air; it was both sweet and refreshing as I took in a number of deep breaths. The green colours of the hills that rolled and dipped before me was something that was so vibrant that I almost couldn't believe it. Patches of yellow, pink and red flowers dotted the landscape, making it even more awe-inspiring.

Despite my logic that told me this couldn't be real, there was a strong feeling in my gut and in the back of my mind that told me otherwise. I had quite often used my instincts to guide me, because I knew the underlying truth of it through my studies at university.

I didn't know how to explain it, and I didn't understand it, but I had to trust what I felt. Besides Josh, my instincts were all I had right now.

Glancing over at Josh, I saw him looking at the ground with a frown on his face. I could almost read his thoughts through his expression, and he seemed to be really mulling over what was going on. Sometimes I really wondered if we were twins; everything he did seemed to mirror exactly what was running through my mind. It really just showed how close we were though, and I would do anything to keep him safe.

I thought for a long time as we walked up a small slope in the path. The most important thing to me _was _keeping Josh safe. It was something that I had promised our mother, and even though I was only eight years old, it was a promise that I was going to keep. There was no way that I could take him back to that house, to our father. I wish that I could have him stay with me in my apartment at university, but I didn't know how possible it would be.

He was only seventeen, which meant that our father still had parental custody over him. I knew what his personality was like; he would drag Josh back to that house just so that he had some control over him, and someone to take his anger out on.

I couldn't let it come down to that. Our father had been completely horrible to us for years, but this was the first time that he had used physical violence against us. Before, it had just been threats of violence and mind games; now that he had actually done something to me, I was terrified that he would do something physical to Josh.

Thinking about what had happened brought the throbbing in my head to the front of my concerns. There was a strong possibility that I had gotten a concussion, though I didn't feel _too_ dizzy in general from it. It just bloody hurt. I think that I would need to keep an eye on how I felt for the next few hours, making sure that I didn't get ill. The thought that my father had done this to me though, made me feel angry and wounded.

I obviously hadn't thought much of him after the years of neglect of Josh and I, but the fact that he had physically hurt his own child, one that he was supposed to protect, was something that made my heart break. It was like he died the same day that our mother died.

There was no way I could take Josh back to that place. But how could I avoid that, while still trying to get back to our 'world'? Perhaps the offer from this strange man was the answer for the moment, just until we were able to figure out what to do, or what was going on to begin with.

Neither Josh nor I had replied to Gandalf's proposal. He wanted us to join him on a quest that we knew nothing about. I again thought to myself; what choice did we have? We had no clue how or why we had ended up here. We had no idea how to get back. We didn't know anyone else, and even though we had just met this man, a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that we could trust him.

With every word we had spoken, we had opened up to him. He hadn't hurt us, he had listened to our heart-breaking life story, and he was offering us help with whatever was going on. We would literally be lost without him and I felt as though there was no other option. Even Gandalf had no idea how we could get back.

We had stopped walking suddenly, and I looked up at Gandalf with a deep breath and a slight smile. The situation felt as though it had thoroughly overwhelmed me, and I was starting to feel almost giddy, as if I was over-tired and on the verge of an _actual_ nervous break.

I felt as though I needed _serious _psychiatric help.

"Alright, count me in on this quest of yours." I looked at Josh who was also looking at Gandalf, a hint of excitement dancing in his eyes.

"Well, if Amelia is going, then I guess I _have _to go too" he said, with a small smirk on his face.

"Good! Well I suppose it is time for you to meet your host, Mr Bilbo Baggins. Just be warned, he is unaware that he has more than a dozen guests this evening." Gandalf chuckled to himself, while I laughed in half disbelief.

"You mean that you didn't actually tell him that you were having a raging party at his house?" The old man let out another guilty chuckle at my question which rung with incredulity and humour. Josh barked out a laugh and replied, the grin in his voice audible.

"I think I am going to like you Mr Gandalf!"

It seemed as though I wasn't the only one feeling slightly delusional and more than a little giddy.

"Oh, and he is a Hobbit." Gandalf added almost casually. To be honest, I was still felt as though I was drowning in a tidal wave of conflicting emotions; his words just added to the confusion and scepticism of the absolutely ridiculous information and declarations that I had heard over the past hour or so. Without really attempting to acknowledge what on earth he had said, I just added it to the list of things that seemed to be slowly suffocating me. _Hobbits_, I thought skittishly. _Yeah, right!_

The three of us walked up towards a perfect little wooden fence. Joshua opened the gate for both Gandalf and I, where the old man proceeded to tread up the steps and knock on the perfectly circled, green door with his staff. _How odd_, I thought to myself. The door seemed to be built into the hill, which made me wonder if it was like a cave or something. I remembered quickly that the wizard had said that it would be quite comfortable; not that that put my nerves at ease.

After a few moments I could hear a yelling coming from inside, increasing as the person came closer. "…. No, no, no! There are quite enough dwarves in my living room as it is. If this is some plot-heads idea of a joke, ha-ha"- he laughed, vaguely sarcastically- "well it is in poor taste!" The door suddenly flew open to show a short little man standing in the doorway. He had slightly long blonde hair that fell over his head in waves, which looked ruffled and tousled by running hands through them over and over. He was wearing a robe over what looked to be pyjamas, and was wearing- _ah_, nope, not wearing any shoes; his feet were just super hairy and really big.

_Oops._

By the look of his distraught face, this must be the Bilbo that Gandalf had informed was our host. When he saw Gandalf, he dropped his shoulders and sighed, with a look that said '_of course it was Gandalf, I should have known.'_

Gandalf walked inside, greeting Bilbo as pleasantly as possible, obviously trying to smooth over inviting lots of people to poor Bilbo's house without permission. He then turned to Josh and I to introduce us. "This, Mr Bilbo Baggins, is Miss Amelia and Master Joshua. I met them along the way and they are a far way from home. If you would be so kind to house them for the night and allow them access to new clothes, food and ointments, that would be lovely."

Josh and I finally stepped inside the little house; which, by the way was most definitely not a cave. It was warm and smelled like vegetables and stew. I breathed in the aroma and my stomach conveniently rumbled loud enough to alert each of them to how hungry I was. I looked up at Bilbo, catching him looking at the side of my face. _Shit_, I thought, _it must be worse than I first realised_. Bilbo looked away slightly awkwardly, but collected himself enough to say "Follow me, I will show you to some new clothes and then we can try to find some food, if there is any left that is" Bilbo glanced sadly towards what must be the living room, where a large amount of noise was coming from, and led us in the opposite direction.

We followed a large corridor and after several doors, we stopped at one. Bilbo opened it up and shooed us inside, beginning to pull out clothes hesitantly. It seemed as though he was going to have a hard time parting from his belongings. My heart really went out to the.. _Hobbit.. What the heck did that even mean?_ Ignoring my internal blabbering that was trying to decipher everything around me and just following my instincts, I walked up behind him and cleared my throat. He jumped slightly before looking up at me with a confused look in his features.

"Look, uh.. Bilbo.. We don't need anything special to wear. Just something that is more appropriate than what we are currently clothed in." I looked down at myself pointedly, and realised I was not exaggerating at all. I was currently dressed in a neon green training shirt, black running shorts and orange sneakers. I looked over at Josh, and while he was dressed a bit better, he was still wearing jeans, a t-shirt and converse.

Bilbo nodded at me with a thankful look and started to pull out clothes from another drawer.

"Unfortunately I don't own any shoes, perhaps Gandalf can find two pairs someho- ah! Here, I have a tunic and a pair of slacks that will fit you Miss Amelia, and also, where is it… A-ha! A vest as well, that should do.. Master Joshua, it might be a bit difficult finding some clothes for you, though my great, great, great uncle was quite larger than a usual hobbit, and I feel I have some of his clothing still here… Yes! Here, a tunic and slacks for you, pray they may be a bit small still, hmm.. I will keep looking, anything to get a break from those blasted Dwarves!"

I was surprised when I saw the style of clothes that he pulled out for us to wear, but more shocked to hear the mention of Dwarves for the second time. Man, this whole situation was making my head hurt worse than it should have. I was starting to again believe I had been knocked unconscious when I hit that wall.

"What do you mean Dwarves?" Josh piped up. As if on cue, a loud yell and cheer came from down the corridor. Bilbo sighed and looked at us both in dismay, before excusing himself and making his way down the corridor to the source of the commotion.

As he left, I plonked myself down in the closest chair and closed my eyes. This whole situation was freaking me out. How the hell did we manage to land ourselves in Middle Earth, in the midst of Dwarves, Hobbits and a Wizard?

_Of course we hadn't_, I thought angrily. There is no way that this isn't a dream, or a nightmare. It couldn't be anything else, surely. I had been knocked unconscious when that sorry excuse for a father had hit me.

The emotions running through my mind and body were flitting between anger, shakiness, confusion, pain and despair every few seconds. Errantly, I thought how so many feelings pumping through a single person at once was sure to explode them.

Josh must have realised that I felt as though I was about to hyperventilate at any moment, as he came and sat down in a chair next to me and took my hand.

I opened my eyes and smiled at him. There was a look of worry in his eyes, and I instantly felt horrible for not keeping myself together for the sake of Josh. "I'm fine Josh, don't worry. It's just this whole situation is crazy. Like, are we sure that I didn't knock myself unconscious when I hit that wall?"

He smiled sadly, but shook his head. "I don't know exactly how the hell this has happened.. But we are here now that's for sure. You haven't died or anything, and neither have I." He paused in thought for a moment, before he added "I hope."

I grimaced at the possibility that I had died and this was some kind of weird trippy after-life dream that I imagined, but I put that thought to the back of my mind when my stomach rumbled again.

"Come on, let's get changed and go out to get some food before it's all gone."

* * *

><p>We made our way down the corridor and towards the dining room, after changing into the clothes Bilbo gave to us. He was right; Josh's clothes were still a little bit small, but he could wear them. The tunic was tight across the shoulders and the slacks ended mid-shin, but it was the best we had under current circumstances.<p>

Wearing these strange clothes made me feel nervous and jittery, though, and I was still trying to understand them. If nothing else had already indicated that we weren't in our world, it was the clothes that did. They looked as though they were from some type of movie set in the Middle Ages. They fit comfortably on me, but I still felt uncomfortable knowing that they were from somewhere completely unknown to us. I wasn't sure if it made everything feel more real, or incredibly _surreal_. We followed the sound of yelling and cheering to the dining room, and turned the corner to meet Bilbo's unexpected guests.

We stood there for a few moments, trying to take in the scene around us. There were short, stocky men with long hair and beards everywhere, all sitting around the table scoffing down food, sloshing whatever alcohol they were drinking and laughing with one another. So these were the 'Dwarves' Bilbo was currently dealing with.

Poor guy, their table manners were _horrendous_.

I honestly thought that I would be in utter and complete shock at the situation, but I felt as though my brain had just completely stopped processing the information properly, and refused to reboot itself. There was just too much to sieve through, and it was like my brain had told me '_you're on your own.'_

_Great._

As a result, it was as though the surroundings were much easier to accept as something normal, as opposed to the logical side of me completely freaking out and melting down at the downright impossibility of this.

I didn't know how long the effect of my shock was going to last, but for the meantime I was completely grateful that I hadn't passed out at the absolute incredulous sight.

It didn't take long for one of the dwarves to notice Josh and I standing awkwardly in the doorway, and the dark haired man with a funny looking hat yelled out.

"Look lads, who do we have here?" he called out. The entire group of dwarves suddenly stopped eating, drinking and talking, and went completely silent as they turned around in their seats to face us. Luckily, Gandalf picked that moment to come back into the room, saving us from the completely awkward silence that had transpired.

"These, my friends, are siblings Miss Amelia and Master Joshua. They will be accompanying us on our journey. Amelia, Joshua, this is the company of Dwarves." Gandalf proceeded to introduce each of them while pointing to each man-er, I mean Dwarf. "This is Dwalin and his brother Balin, brothers Dori, Nori and Ori, brothers Fili and Kili, and brothers Bofur and Bombur, and their cousin Bifur, oh and yes! Oin and Gloin, also brothers."

_Hmm, I'm going to have a great time remembering each of their names_, I thought sarcastically. Some members of the group looked over to us with curiosity, and I noted that it was mainly the younger ones. However, most of the older dwarves looked at us warily. One of the dwarves stood suddenly, looking at us with what seemed to be anger.

The top of his head was bald and covered in quadrilateral shaped tattoos. There was black hair growing from about halfway down his skull, and he had a magnificent beard and moustache. I had seriously never seen someone with so much facial hair, other than the other Dwarves in the room. He seemed to be taller than most of the other dwarves, and I _think_ that his name was Drogon? _Dwayne?_

"What right do you have to invite them on _our _quest, for _our_ homeland, Gandalf? Have you even consulted Thorin?" He spat, looking at us only to glare daggers our way. He intimidated me beyond belief, and I honestly felt terrified. I had started to take a step behind Gandalf, when I noticed the Dwarf's menacing glare land on Josh.

It was when he slowly but surely puffed out his chest at Josh in some attempt to one up my taller brother, that my blood boiled. Instead of timidly cowering away from his eyes full of anger, I stood up straighter, and sent a glare straight back at him. He noticed me briefly and actually snorted, giving me a quick once over and directing his glare back at Gandalf.

"Thorin has invited me on this quest, Master Dwalin, and he asked me to find a burglar. So I have found three." He swept his arm out to encompass us, and must have realised that Bilbo was not there, so he added "including Master Baggins. Without them, your quest to Erebor will be for naught." Gandalf's words didn't reflect anger, but there was an edge in his voice that not only I noticed.

It was then that Dwalin sat back down with more attitude than necessary, with arms crossed and another glare being sent out our way. Gandalf spoke again, addressing the company. "Miss Amelia and Master Joshua have travelled very far to be here, and the least you could do is to share in food and ale, as they are famished from their journey."

And with that, most of the company went back to their food and drink, laughing about Dwalin being put back in his place by Gandalf. However, four members of the company, the ones that I noted to be the youngest, stood up and walked over to my brother and I.

The dwarf that had spotted us in the doorway minutes earlier formally introduced himself to us first. "Bofur, at your service", he said with a deep bow. He stood back up and gave us a big toothy grin; I instantly relaxed, and returned the smile. He seemed very friendly and genuine, which was a relief after Dwalin's outburst.

Wait, _what_? The thoughts shocked me, as I scrambled to ascertain how the hell one interaction with such a strange person had managed to crack my composure and let my guard down.

Considering my apparent need for psychiatric help for the second time tonight, I figured that I may as well be a lost cause for normality. I was in a room full of hairy men, for crying out loud! I must be truly ill if I was feeling relaxed in such strange company.

Banishing the inner-dialogue from my scrambled thoughts, I focused my attention onto the man in front of me.

He had a strange hat-crossed-beanie that covered his dark hair, which seemed to be tied into two braids that hung at either side of his face. His moustache was long, but curled upwards at an odd angle, making his entire face very comical and not threatening in the slightest.

"Amelia, um-at your service?" I replied, obviously unfamiliar with the formalities. "And Josh, at yours" my brother added. The second man, who looked to be the youngest of all of them, popped up beside Bofur and introduced himself also. "Ori, at your service." He smiled shyly at us, looking just as nervous as I felt.

"Nice to meet you Ori. I am Amelia, and this is my brother Josh."

His hair was cut into what I would call a bowl cut. He had a straight fringe, which was cut the same length for probably half of the hair around his head. The other half of his hair underneath was longer though, and I noticed that there were several braids fastened in places around his head. He had a short beard and a small moustache compared to Dwalin, and his whole demeanour was very different indeed.

He only had a moment to smile graciously back at us, before the last two dwarves came over and grabbed Ori in a headlock, wrestling with the young dwarf who looked extremely embarrassed. The blonde dwarf let Ori go first, and bowed while saying "Fili, at your service." The brunette also let Ori go and bowed alongside Fili, adding "Kili, at your service." So, these two were brothers. I looked at them, but didn't find many similarities besides their seeming eagerness to joke around, and their blatantly good looks. If this was an afterlife, then I had it _good_, I thought as I raised an eyebrow at the two.

_Nope, Amelia. Do. Not. Go there._

The blonde one, Fili, had a cheeky smirk on his face. His hair was a golden blonde colour and some parts were pulled into small braids. He also had braids in his moustache, which I thought to be extremely odd. Kili had brunette hair and only slight stubble; I noted that he looked much more normal than the rest, excepting his small stature. They were still only a centimetre or so shorter than I was, though it felt disorientating to have someone (that wasn't a child) who was shorter than I was.

"I'm Amelia, and this is Josh, my brother." Josh and I smiled at the brothers, before my stomach made a noise that sounded like an oncoming storm.

"I could really kill for some food." I said, as Kili grabbed my arm and dragged us over to the table. "Come, sit with Fili and I!"

Without an objection from myself, I sat in between the two brothers while Josh was walked over to the table with Bofur, who seemed to be asking hundreds of questions to which he couldn't keep up.

"So, where are you from laddie? You are awfully tall, which makes me think you are an elf, but you don't have the pointy ears.. Which is good, us lot aren't too fond of Elves." He made a disgusted look to emphasise his point. "Anyway, what line of work are you in? Building? Smithing?" Bofur continued to ask questions while Josh hungrily ate the food on the table.

I looked down and started grabbing at the food near me, piling vegetables, cheese and various sorts of meat onto my plate. I felt absolutely ravenous. Realising that my table manners weren't any better than that of the dwarves that I had inwardly criticised earlier, I slowly continued to place my food onto my plate. While I began delicately eating the vegetables, I glanced sideways to see the brothers smirking at me.

"What?" I said, making sure I ate my mouthful before speaking. They just laughed, before Fili spoke.

"Lass, as you have probably observed, table manners are not something of importance to dwarves. Eat up; you will need your strength for the journey ahead. We leave in the morning." He smiled and winked at me, which made me blush ridiculously so I put my head down and began to stuff my mouth full of food.

Oh my freaking god, it was _delicious_. It all tasted so different, like it was fresher and cleaner than anything I had ever eaten.

As I was finishing off my first plate, a large flagon was placed in front of me. I looked to my left and saw Kili smirking at me, after he gave one to Josh.

"Hey!" I called out, "you're not old enough to drink that, you aren't eighteen for seven more months!" pointing to the flagon that was half raised to his mouth.

On either side of me, Kili dropped his flagon and Fili spluttered his ale everywhere. Luckily the other Dwarves were still too engrossed in their own stories to notice, minus the four young Dwarves, Josh and I. "What did I say?" I exclaimed, looking between the two brothers and Josh. Fili was wide-eyed but recovered first, laughing in half disbelief. "Are you telling me that your brother is seventeen?"

"Well, yeah, I mean.. What's wrong with that? I'm twenty years old." Well that was definitely the wrong thing to say. Kili and Fili burst out into laughter while Ori and Bofur chuckled to themselves.

"Miss Amelia, you and your brother are but babes. I am eighty-two years old and still considered young!" Fili choked out between laughs.

"You're… You're eighty-two? How? What?" I spluttered out, very unintelligently, as Fili and Kili began laughing even harder. I managed to compose myself enough before retorting "Well, let me just say, you're looking pretty good for an old man", winking at him before taking a drink of my flagon which was filled with ale (it will have to do). Fili blushed just as badly as I had earlier, and I chuckled while starting on my second plate of food. which I quickly finished.

Like they expected me to believe that. Eighty-two? _Ha-ha_,_ yeah_ _right._

My imagination was much more creative than I had ever expected, I pondered as I looked around the table. Was the after-life based on your imagination? Or was that just dreams? There was literally no way that I could dream this up, though the only other option- of this being real life -was much more unlikely.

But, _how?_ I picked at the piece of chicken on my plate, considering for the hundredth time an explanation of what was happening.

_A dream_, I thought. _It _had_ to be a dream_.

My attention was drawn to Bilbo's voice in the corridor, again seeming very distraught. Ori, Fili and Kili left to see what the commotion was, and I moved over to sit with Josh. He seemed to be enjoying himself, stuffing his face full of his third plate of food and finishing it off with a sip of his ale.

"Don't drink too much of that, I don't want you getting drunk before our _big quest_ in the morning." I forced a smile at my brother, who smiled genuinely back. We settled into a semi-comfortable silence as we looked around the room. The remaining Dwarves had finished off all of the food that had been on the table, though they were continuing to drink and laugh amongst themselves.

"-What should I do with my plate", Ori said from the corridor, to which I heard Fili reply "Here you go Ori, give it to me." All of a sudden we heard a '_swoosh!' _of something being thrown through the air, and a yell. Bilbo didn't seem to be happy with whatever Fili had decided to do with his plate.

That was when Bofur and three other dwarves at the table began to stomp their feet on the ground beneath where they sat, and started using their cutlery to scrape together into what sounded like the beginning of a song. Bilbo came in and to yell at the dwarves at the table.

"Can you not do that! You'll blunt them!"

"Ooh, do you hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!" Bofur called out with a great big grin on his face. And then the singing started. By the sound of the voices in the corridor, Kili or Fili begun the song that every one of the dwarves joined in on.

_Blunt the knives, bend the forks!  
>Smash the bottles and burn the corks!<br>Chip the glasses and crack the plates!  
>That's what Bilbo Baggins hates -<em>

_Cut the cloth, tread on the fat!  
>Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!<br>Pour the milk on the pantry floor!_

_Splash the wine on every door!  
>Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;<br>Pound them up with a thumping pole;  
>And when you've finished, if they are whole,<br>Send them down the hall to roll!  
>That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!<em>

I just sat in disbelief, while Josh at least had the decency to laugh and join in. Bowls and plates had been thrown about the dining room and corridor and through to the kitchen. I had narrowly missed being hit in the head by a plate and Josh was splashed by a stray flagon of ale.

Bilbo rushed in just as the song finished, seeing that all of his precious bowls and plates had been washed and stacked on the kitchen table, as the rest of the company laughed at his expression, including Gandalf. Unfortunately, their fun seemed to be cut short with a loud knock on the door that quickly silenced each of us.

"He's here," Gandalf stated ominously.


	3. The Truth Revealed and Trust Earned

Each member of the company made their way through the corridor towards the front door. Josh walked with his new friend Bofur, while I trailed behind. I was stopped by a hand gently holding onto my forearm, grounding me in place.

I stiffened up and turned to face the offender, relaxing only slightly when I saw that it was Fili. I still shrugged out of his reach though, because it had put me on edge to be honest. I thought about what had happened that day, and quickly pushed it back out of my memory. I didn't want to think about what my father had done to me, because it was making me feel incapable of looking after myself.

Fili must have seen these emotions play out on my face, because he cast me a curious look, though he stayed out of my comfort zone this time.

"Who did this to you, Miss Amelia? Some of the lads noticed, and we became concerned" He said, while gesturing to my cheek. His hand lingered close to my face for a split second before he put his arm back by his side. I looked down at my bare feet a few moments before replying.

"A story for another time, maybe." I looked back up at his intriguing face, before adding "Besides, it looks like we have another visitor. Bilbo is going to be so pleased with this."

I turned around and continued down the corridor, catching the last of a conversation between Bilbo and an unfamiliar voice.

"He looks more like a grocer than a burglar" the new voice stated to the company, and I noticed Bilbo looked extremely embarrassed and confused. I honestly felt sorry for the poor guy. Gandalf then turned to Josh and me, just seconds after I entered the room.

"Miss Amelia and Master Joshua, this is Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain and leader of this company." Gandalf turned back to Thorin, stating "The siblings will be joining us on our quest, as I have also chosen them as our burglars."

Thorin walked slowly up to Joshua and I. He had an energy around him that definitely indicated some form of royalty, and it was hard not to flinch away from the power of his presence. "A woman, and an elf-like creature?" He stated while looking us up and down. "I'll be damned if I have either on this quest."

Did I just hear that right? I glanced behind Thorin and saw Dwalin, with the biggest smirk I'd ever seen on a person, or a Dwarf for that matter. Despite his intimidating aura, that pissed me right off and I took half a step towards Thorin.

There was a brief moment where I was looking in at the current situation, and it was then that I fully acknowledged the fact that I had completely snapped.

To hell with being pushed around by another person after what had happened today; there was not a damn chance of that.

It was a good thing that I was about the same height as the Dwarf, otherwise it would have been super awkward. I narrowed my eyes at his icy blue ones and stuck out my chin, hoping to dissuade from the fact that my entire being was trembling.

"Do you think that just because I am a girl, that I am suddenly less than you? That having boobs makes me incapable of doing anything?-" I noticed Thorin shift uncomfortably at the mention of the female anatomy "-Oh, and my brother is not a fucking elf, can't you tell by the ears?"

Thorin looked at me for a split-second like I had just kicked a puppy, before his eyes narrowed at me. "This is my quest and I will choose my companions according to how adequate their skills are for the journey." Thorin looked pointedly over at my brother before walking down the corridor towards the dining room.

Most of the Dwarves, with their snickers and offended glares, had followed Thorin through to the dining room before I spoke again.

"What an ass." Josh just nodded in agreement, before Kili spoke up. "Aye, and that is our uncle. You will get used to him, though" he laughed, as he walked to the dining room with Gandalf. Josh and Bilbo followed suit.

Ah, _crap_. I had just insulted not only a King and the leader of their quest, but the cute brothers' uncle.

Whoops.

Fili was there again, seemingly waiting for me. I sighed, and he just looked at me and chuckled.

"I guess any chance of going on this quest and finding a way home has gone out the window," I muttered.

"No, lass, I would not worry about that. Uncle is not used to having anyone standing up to him, much less a woman. Even if he does not agree at first, we can persuade him." He smiled at me as we walked back down the corridor.

"Oh, you're going to persuade him? And why would you do that now?" I retorted, and smirked when I saw the beginnings of a blush dusting his cheeks.

"No," he started, "I simply meant that Gandalf would be able to talk some sense into Thorin, if no one else." He looked slightly embarrassed, and I just laughed.

"Hey, if you wanted me to go on this adventure with you, all you had to do was ask," I shrugged, before walking into the dining room and standing behind Kili and Fili, who proceeded to sit with his brother. He still looked embarrassed, but smirked at me over his shoulder as Dwalin began to speak to Thorin about someone called Dain. The King himself had sat at the head of the table, with Gandalf sat to his left.

This Dwarf called Dain had apparently refused to join their quest, and I wondered why. The group looked slightly disheartened at the news from Thorin. At this point, Bilbo came back into the room (I wondered where he had gotten off to), and asked the company if they were going on a quest. Obviously Gandalf hadn't informed Bilbo that he was to join their journey; I had known the wizard for all of a few hours, but I was picking up that he was rather sneaky. I looked at Bilbo's face, and he looked slightly terrified but what I saw foremost was curiosity; he was looking down at a map that Gandalf had produced.

Despite being extremely put out by having thirteen Dwarves, two Humans and a Wizard show up on his doorstep for a dinner that was nothing short of loud and boisterous, he wasn't doing too badly. He hadn't tried to kick them out either (from what I had seen, even after Thorin's condescending remarks), and I felt like he was a really good person- um, Hobbit, even if he seemed to be a little bit of a recluse.

Coming back to reality, I heard who I think I remembered as Balin addressing the group. "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." He looked around at the company, as if to emphasise his statement.

"Hey, who are you calling dim!" one of the Dwarves yelled. The others erupted into bouts of disagreements and anger, until Fili decided to have his say.

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, to the last dwarf!" To continue his brother's positive outlook on the situation, Kili added "And you forget; we have a Wizard in our company! Gandalf would have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!"

I couldn't see his face, but by the tone of excitement in his voice I could only imagine that he was grinning like a child that had just been given an ice-cream covered in rainbow sprinkles.

Wait-_what the fuck_- did he just say dragon?

"Well, I wouldn't say that.." Gandalf trailed off in response to Kili's statement. He was starting to look rather uncomfortable.

"How many then? Go on, give us a number!" a burly dwarf yelled. Gandalf obviously couldn't think of a way to get out of this pickle. He sat there in silence a few moments, before he began to choke on the smoke of the pipe he had sitting in between his lips.

The Dwarves again started yelling and stood up in anger this time, arguing and yelling words foreign to me across the table. It was getting worse, and I saw more than heard Bilbo attempting to calm them down. However, it was Thorin, who had been absent from the conversation for quite some time, who finally spoke. Well, I say spoke. It was more of a roar, basically.

"Silence!" he bellowed over the company, standing abruptly from his seat. The reaction was instantaneous; the energy that flowed off of him was so intimidating that every single dwarf sat down within milliseconds, and all arguments ceased. Even Bilbo took several steps back from his place behind Thorin.

"If we have read the signs, do you not think that others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look East to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor!" He ended his pep-talk with words from a language that I couldn't understand, and I made a note to ask one of the Dwarves what it meant later on.

Each member of the company yelled out cheers of agreement, except for Balin, who was turning out to be a real party-pooper.

"You forget; the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain." He stated solemnly.

"Ah, but Master Balin, there is another entrance, only known to few, fewer of which still live this day," Gandalf spoke while pulling out what looked to be a large key, a smile hinting at his lips.

Thorin suddenly perked up as he saw what Gandalf held. "How came you by this?" he half whispered to the wizard, his gaze transfixed on the key.

"Your father passed this onto me, to be held for sake-keeping. Now, it is yours." Gandalf replied, passing the heirloom to stunned Thorin. He took the key gently, running his fingers over the inclinations and raised edges.

I looked at the other Dwarves in the room. They looked on in wonder, excitement and curiosity. "If there is a key, there must be a door!" Fili exclaimed, to which I rolled my eyes. _Great deduction, Sherlock_, I thought sarcastically. I had to try and suppress a snort of laughter when Kili then added "There's another way in!" The brothers were speaking in earnest, but I couldn't take them seriously when they stated the blaringly obvious. Gandalf smiled at the brothers, addressing the company as he did so. "There is another entrance, hidden to anyone that does not know what to look for. But we have a key, and a map."

"However, Dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar!" Ori piped up.

"Oh yes, and a good one at that. You would need an expert, I'd expect." Bilbo had picked the wrong moment to put in his two cents, and for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight, I felt sorry for the oblivious Hobbit.

"And are you?" the Dwarf called Dori asked.

"Am I what?" Bilbo replied after looking behind him to make sure the question wasn't directed at someone else.

"He says he's an expert!" yelled a hearing impaired Dwarf, whom I couldn't particularly remember the name of.

"What? No, no, no, no, I'm not a burglar! I've never stolen a thing in my life" Bilbo called over the top of the group, with a hint of pride in his statement.

Again, the group exploded into arguments between themselves over the 'inadequacy' of their burglar. It was starting to give me a damn headache, and I was about to tell at them to shut the hell up, when Gandalf beat me to it.

He stood up, towering above the company. The shadows from behind the Wizard seemed to convulse and expand, darkness creeping from the corner of the room. Anger rolled off of Gandalf in waves and I cringed back even before he spoke. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he shall be." He barely had to raise his voice, but he was so intimidating and I realised that I wasn't the only one in the room that had cowered away from him.

Once the Dwarves had been silenced, the shadows began to retreat back into the corner of the room to god knows where, and the anger that had radiated from Gandalf dissipated. He looked much calmer, and he continued to speak in a more light-hearted tone.

"Hobbits are especially light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And Bilbo has two partners to help him; this will give us a distinct advantage, as the scent of the three will be unfamiliar to the dragon. You asked me to find a burglar for your company. While I had only initially chosen Mister Bilbo, it seems as though fate has it to intervene, and this is why I have also decided that Miss Amelia and Master Joshua to accompany us."

"While there are some amongst you that have your doubts, you must trust me on this. They have more to offer than any of you know, including themselves." Gandalf looked at Bilbo pointedly, who looked absolutely bewildered.

"But why would you need a burglar?" Bilbo asked desperately, obviously extremely put out by being named one of the burglars on a quest he still knew little about. I was starting to feel the same way; Gandalf hadn't said anything about stealing and damned dragons! There was no way in hell this was going to happen.

"To steal from Smaug, of course!" Bofur yelled out as though it were extremely obvious. Bilbo shifted uncomfortably at the thought of stealing from someone, but by the gist of their earlier conversations I was beginning to realise it was a some_thing_.

"And who exactly is Smaug?" Bilbo squeaked, his face paling ever so slightly. His questions were mirroring exactly what I was thinking.

"Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest of calamities of our age." Bofur smiled at Bilbo, who still looked utterly confused. "Claws like meat-hooks, teeth like razors. Think furnace, with wings."

If he was trying to make Bilbo feel better, he was doing a terrible job. I was also starting to freak out, _again._ But seriously. _What. The. Fuck_. From what I gathered, they were going to steal from a dragon, which means Josh and I were also going to steal from a dragon.

Yeah, _no thanks._

"Yes, I know what a dragon is! Bilbo exclaimed in a voice that had become slightly high-pitched. Thorin spoke up again, directing his comment to Balin.

"Pass the burglars their contracts." Thorin glanced at me, and- obviously seeing my distressed look at the thought of_ stealing from a bloody dragon_- smirked.

He was definitely banking on me to chicken out at the mention of a dragon, and he was almost right. But I was way too stubborn, so I took the contract and began reading. I glanced up at Josh, who did not look quite as shocked as I felt. I gave him a questioning look, and he mouthed the words "_I'll explain after_", and continued to read. I wondered about his lack of reaction to the news we just received, but I suspected that Bofur must have filled him in on at least part of their plan over dinner.

In the meantime, Bilbo had taken the contract and begun to read parts of it aloud, which were not comforting in the slightest.

"Laceration… Evisceration… Incineration?" he squealed again, looking at the company in shock. I saw him begin to pale even further, so I walked over to the poor little Hobbit and put my hand on his arm.

"Are you alright Bilbo?" I asked gently, genuinely concerned for him as he wobbled on his two hairy feet and began to take in short, sharp breaths of air. Bofur decided to speak up again, and I shot him a dark look as he did so.

"Aye, it'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye. Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash."

Bilbo leant over himself, digging his palms into his knees.

"Are you alright, laddie?" Balin called out. Bilbo stood up, seemingly getting over his anxiety attack. However, after all of a few moments and a few deep breaths, he replied with a simple "nope" and proceeded to pass out on the ground at my feet.

I looked down at Bilbo in shock, as Gandalf reprimanded Bofur. After finally gathering my wits, I knelt down and rolled him over gently so that his face wasn't smashed into the wooden floorboards.

Gandalf stood from his chair, lifted the small Hobbit gently and carried him to another room. I followed while listening (and attempting to ignore) Thorin speak to the dwarves at the table.

"There is no room on this quest for folk who faint at the mere thought of what lies ahead."

Thorin seemed powerful and what-not, but the more he spoke down to those who he thought weren't as good as him, the more I disliked him. I walked into a small living area after Gandalf, who placed Bilbo onto an armchair by the fire just as Josh walked into the room behind me.

"Come on Josh, I need to talk to you." Josh nodded in understanding before following me out of the first living room into what looked like another one just down the corridor.

I stepped into the room and found a candle to light, before I turned around to face him. "Josh," I started. "I don't like the sound of this. Dragons? Stealing? Danger? I don't remember the details of the movies or books, but I can recall the gist enough to know that it isn't all rainbows and daisies. I need to look after you, and I'm not letting you go into this. We need to find a way home, _now_."

Josh looked at me resolutely, until I told him we needed to go home. That's when he looked betrayed and angry.

"You can't just make me go back Amelia! You know what will happen when we get back. I'll be forced to live with our asshole of a father again, and I won't be able to get out until I'm eighteen!"

I started to argue back, but he interrupted before I could barely get a handful of words out. "No, don't start. You know that even you wouldn't be able to get me out of it. I wouldn't be able to live with you because he would just drag me back, you know that! I cannot and will not spend one more day in that place!"

"You don't know how bad it's gotten, Amelia. Ever since you left, he could only take his anger out on me." At this point, he had started to tear up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I took a step forward with my hand outstretched to try and comfort him, but he knocked it away so fast that it sent shockwaves through my body. I flinched at the contact and instantly took several steps backwards.

He then realised that he had pushed me away, and looked even more distressed, trying to reason with me through his pleading eyes.

"Amelia.. I.. Today, it… It wasn't the first time he had… He had hit one of his kids…" It took so much effort to get those few words out, and with eyes downcast, he hesitantly lifted up his tunic. What I saw was a pattern of fading yellow patches and bright purple bruises across his ribs and stomach, covering no less than a third of his torso.

I couldn't believe it. My jaw gaped open and I couldn't tear my eyes away.

That bastard, that absolute _monster_.

My chest heaved as I realised what he had done to my baby brother. The anger bubbled up inside my body and pulsed through my arms, but was soon replaced when I realised all of what he had said. "_Once you left, he could only take his anger out on me_…"

Guilt, sorrow and sadness washed over my body once I had put two and two together. I collapsed onto my ass on the wooden floor of the Hobbit hole. If I hadn't left my brother there, he wouldn't have gotten those bruises. He wouldn't have been beaten by my father. I had broken the one promise I had made to my mother, and I hadn't done my job as an older sister. I was so angry at myself and absorbed in my self-loathing that I hadn't realised Josh had come over and sat down next to me. He smiled sadly as he wiped my tears away. I didn't realise that I had been crying. _Again._

"I was supposed to protect you, Josh. Why didn't you tell me?" I asked brokenly, as I looked down at my hands.

"I knew that there was nothing you could do about it, and I didn't want you to give up on your dreams," he replied simply.

It was then that I realised that my younger brother was far braver than I had ever been or will ever be.

It was also in that moment that I made my choice. Gandalf was right. We had been brought to this world for a reason; whether it was to get away from our father or to help these Dwarves on their quest, I did not know. Either way, I was not going to force my brother to go back to our world to be beaten and humiliated by our father. I looked up at him, snapping myself out of my current state.

"I am so sorry Josh," I grimaced at him, before taking his hand and continuing. "While I am here, I will never let anyone hurt you ever again. We won't go back, but I don't know if I can let you go on this quest. We could both be killed."

That had him caught. He looked down at his hands thoughtfully, before looking back up to me. There was a new spark of determination in his eyes, and he began to speak again.

"I was talking to Bofur during dinner, as I saw that you noticed. He was telling me about a place called Erebor, their homeland. Well, it was their homeland, before a dragon named Smaug came and killed many of their family and almost all of the men in the neighbouring city of Dale. They were forced to leave their home as the dragon took Thorin's grandfathers' gold. Bofur was only young when it happened, but he remembers how horrible it was. There was death everywhere and they lost almost everything.

"The point is, I want to help them. We know slightly how they feel, minus the fire-breathing dragon part, but we know what it feels like to lose someone you love. Besides, we were brought here for a reason, and I'd like to believe it's more than coincidence. Like Gandalf said, I think we were brought here because they need our help."

He looked so determined to help the Dwarves; I could see a hint of fear in his eyes, though I presumed because he believed that I would say no. Yet he was right, utterly and completely. I sighed, closing my eyes.

"Okay, fine!" I put my hands up in defeat, as he wrapped his arms around me in a great big hug. "But," I continued once he let me go, "we have to look out for each other. It's going to be dangerous, and I would die before I let anyone hurt you again." I smiled slightly at his questioning look, but before he could ask what I meant, I jumped up and pulled him with me.

"Come on! We need to go and sign our lives away to Balin." We walked back past the first living room, where I saw a now conscious Bilbo speaking seriously with Gandalf. We continued to walk into the dining room which was filled with dwarves in quiet conversations with each other. It was a complete 180 compared to the festivities from earlier in the night. The Dwarves stopped speaking and looked to Joshua and I. Josh was the first to speak up.

"Amelia and I have decided to join your quest as your burglars. We will sign the contracts if you still have them, Balin?"

Balin looked slightly sad that we had actually decided to join the quest, and Thorin, Dwalin and most of the Dwarves had scowls etched into their faces. The four Dwarves that we had already befriended, however, let out cheers.

Bofur stood up and clapped Joshua on the back, and while Josh winced slightly at the contact, he grinned right back at the dwarf.

"I'm glad to hear it, lad! Both of ya will be fine additions to our company." Bofur stated, oblivious to the looks he was getting from Dwalin and Thorin in particular.

Balin handed over the contracts, which we proceeded to sign with a quill and ink (_so Harry Potter!_). I anxiously smiled at the dwarves, and met Fili and Kili's eyes. They looked ecstatic, which made my stomach summersault nervously.

"Well, we are going to ask Bilbo for somewhere to sleep; it's been a really big day for us." I stated, as Josh and I headed back down the hallway to Bilbo. He had just come out of his living room, and he jumped slightly when he saw us.

"Are you feeling any better, Bilbo?" Josh asked with a cheeky grin, to which Bilbo didn't seem to appreciate.

"Yes, thank you." He replied quite curtly, before turning to face me. His face softened, as he asked "do you need somewhere to sleep? I can arrange a separate room for you to retire. The Dwarves and Josh can sleep in the living rooms, as there should be quite enough room."

"That would be great, thank you Bilbo." He started ushering me down the corridor, and I called out goodnight to Josh. He looked mildly uncomfortable to be sleeping in the company of the Dwarves, but Bofur appeared behind him and started chatting away. The frown on his face disappeared and his shoulders slumped slightly as he relaxed, and they turned to go back into the dining room.

Bilbo showed me to a room a fair way down the corridor. It really made me wonder just how big his home actually was.

"Here you are Miss Amelia. It is completely furnished, and the bed spread was only changed two days past, so it should be rather comfortable." He continued to mumble about the room, which I didn't mind in the slightest, but my eyes flashed over to a mirror on top of the fire place. I went over cautiously, unsure if I wanted to look. As I reached it, I gasped slightly in shock.

My cheek had turned purple along a thin cut which was only very shallow and short, but a trickle of blood had run from it. It looked as though I had just had teeth pulled with how swollen my cheek appeared.

My hand went from my cheek to the matted hair on the other side of my head. Blood had congealed from a cut I must have received from contact with the wall, and it had clumped parts of my hair rather disgustingly. Bilbo must have noticed, because he had stopped talking and came over to stand near me.

"What happened to you, Miss Amelia? You have such horrible injuries; I couldn't imagine how you might have gotten them…"

I sighed, dropping my shoulders and facing Bilbo. It wasn't only that I didn't trust him, but I also didn't trust myself to talk about it without balling my eyes out in front of a complete stranger.

However, when I looked at Bilbo's eyes and saw them filled with such genuine concern and worry, rather than curiosity, I decided in that moment to entrust in the Hobbit. It was something that surprised me just as much as anything else had throughout that day. I quickly went through everything Josh and I had been through, including our mother's death, briefly recapping the events that transpired that afternoon and how we ended up in Middle Earth. I wanted to glean over as quickly as possible to stop myself from crying, which I am proud to say I was successful at doing.

Bilbo listened the entire time with a shocked look on his face, which quickly turned to anger when he heard that my father was the cause of my injuries.

"What a horrid creature he must be to cause harm to someone as delicate as you!" he exclaimed, quite disgusted with this piece of information. "Come, let's get you cleaned up!" He began to shoo me towards his 'bathroom', which was something very different to what I had envisioned. It was a smaller sized room than any of the ones I had been in already, with a large rounded bathtub that was made of a smooth, brown wood. The walls in the room were unlike any other in the house; they hadn't been expertly carved and painted out of the hill we were beneath. In here, they were dark and it seemed they had not been altered since they had originally dug out to create the space. It was cool to the touch, and Bilbo begun to explain the reason for this.

"The stone and earth from the hill are naturally cool, which is quite agreeable when bathing in hot water, otherwise it becomes much too steamy."

After showing me how to pump water into the bathtub, he left me to my own devices. I automatically moved to light candles that were place around the room using several matches Bilbo left me. I was lost in thought as I undressed myself and laid down into the steamy water. It was scalding hot, but it felt nice against my dirty and grubby skin. I began to clean myself with some soap, making sure I gently scrubbed the blood from my face and hair. I felt like I had stepped into a dream in which I couldn't wake myself up from. Everything just seemed so surreal, like I had made it up. But by the heat against my skin and the throbbing in my head, I knew deep down that it wasn't a dream.

It seemed as though my brain had rebooted itself, conveniently while I was alone with my thoughts. I quickly felt overwhelmed again by everything that had transpired. Our father had hit me, Josh and I had somehow landed into a world that was only fiction to us, and we were about to go on a quest with Dwarves, a Wizard and a Hobbit to kill a Dragon.

Yeah, _good joke._

But it wasn't a joke, was it? This was happening. It wasn't just that everything felt completely and utterly real, but what I felt deep down made me know that it wasn't made up, despite what my brain was saying. I had no idea what was giving me the confidence to know and accept what I didn't believe to be the truth.

In a way, I still thought it was a dream. But mostly, I knew it was reality. This was now _my _reality.

It took a _long _time to actually convince myself completely of what was happening. An attempt to distract myself by thinking of the company I had suddenly found myself only served to fuel my worries.

What worried me most though, is how comfortable I had begun to feel with some of them. I had acknowledged my trust for Gandalf after only an hour or so of speaking to him. With Bilbo, it had been even quicker. I already told him about Josh and I, and I couldn't help but feel like we were very similar. Both of us had been basically thrown off a cliff into the unknown today. He had only just found out that he was to go on a quest tomorrow, and he reacted about the same way as I had when Josh and I found out that we weren't in our world anymore.

I wondered deeply about how exactly we had gotten here. Trans-dimensional teleportation? Aliens? Wormhole? I felt as though my imaginative theories weren't going to help me figure this out. I didn't even know _if _we would figure it out. Would we ever go back to our world? How would we get back there? Would I even leave without Josh, if he didn't want to go back?

My whole existence had been turned upside down in a matter of hours. Confusion was the emotion that was most definitely overwhelming me. Rejection and pain were there, after having to go through being hurt by my father. Anger was also on the forefront of my mind, after finding out that he had been abusing Josh for months. Guilt was stabbing a great hole in my heart from being unable to detect and stop what had been going on for a whole year. Fear was also paralysing me, in the thought of what was lying ahead.

But somewhere in between all of that, I felt a little glimmer of hope, and a tiny speck of elation. I frowned at the completely random feelings in amongst the jumble of negativity. Why would I feel that?

Then it dawned on me. I was able to get Josh away from our father. I was able to protect him and keep him safe now, away from the abuse and the abuser. My hope was lying in my newfound ability to keep my brother close, just as my mum wanted. The elation that I felt though… It was almost like a spark of determination and excitement that was fighting its way through everything else.

We were about to go on an adventure. The excitement I felt flared as I realised its cause. I had just escaped the monotonous drone of the life I was living. Yes, there were amazing moments that appeared, though only as frequently as the sight of stars viewed from the city.

I didn't know what I was going to face the next day.. And that thought further fuelled the exhilaration gnawing at my chest. It was something that I had not had in a long time, especially at University. The routine that I had every single day for the past year had been boring me, and I realised that the craving for something more than the nine to five life had been making me itch for something more interesting over the past few months.

Well, it seemed as though I most definitely got what I wished for.

Attempting to shut off from every idle thought crossing my mind, I closed my eyes and sunk further into the steamy water. It was when I began to relax, that I heard a song being sung by deep voices down the other end of Bilbo's home. While it was completely beautiful, I could hear the sadness, longing and regret through each note and tone. I listened to the song until the water turned cold.


	4. Fun, Games and Apple Trees

The next morning, I awoke to sunlight shining through the bedroom window, the sound of plates clattering and the smell of glorious, glorious bacon and sausages.

Compelled by the smell of easily the best food on the planet (whatever planet I was currently on), I jumped out of bed and quickly threw in my tunic, vest and slacks. I looked in the mirror before leaving, and noticed that the swelling of my cheek had reduced significantly. I looked much better with washed and brushed hair, and after the night's sleep, the bags under my eyes had also begun to disappear.

I had been worried that my sleep would be consumed by nightmares, but after an exhausting day and the singing of the dwarves to lull me into a blissful state of mind, I collapsed as soon as my head hit the pillow.

To be honest, I was actually slightly surprised that I woke up in the same place I remembered falling asleep in. There was a part of my mind that had expected to wake up back in my bed, back in our world, as if this was a crazy dream.

Obviously it hadn't been, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that yet.

I followed my nose out of the room after making the bed. Walking into the dining room, I was greeted by a group of (mostly) cheerful dwarves, Joshua and Gandalf. They all looked extremely satisfied with their breakfast, and I sat down next to the old wizard and made a grab for a few pieces of bacon. I immediately put a piece in my mouth before I had even put any onto my plate, moaning at the taste. It was definitely the best bacon I had ever had.

"This is the most amazing thing ever! God, I love food!" I said happily, with a mouthful of the meat.

"Aye, lass!" the big Dwarf named Bombur cheered, also through mouthfuls of bacon. "If your love of food is to be judged, I do believe we will get on quite well."

I looked at Bombur much closer than I had last night. His face was very round, as was his stomach; it seemed as though he really did love food. The expression on his face was very welcoming though; he was cheery and looked very happy with the situation he was in. He had long orange hair, and the most unusual and completely ridiculous beard I had ever seen in my life. It was a large braid that stretched into a large circle down to his stomach, and looping back to the beginning of his beard. It was so odd that I had to quickly stop myself from gaping.

Instead, I grinned from ear to ear; to which a few of the younger Dwarves (no surprise there) chuckled as I was still busy chewing on my bacon.

At that moment Thorin chose to break up the merry little breakfast party with an order to begin gathering belongings and preparing the ponies for the journey ahead.

It was then that I realised I didn't actually have any belongings anymore.

I had a moment of longing for the everyday, random crap I used like my phone, toothbrush, hair-straightener and lip-balm. I frowned at the thought of going on a grand journey and not even being slightly prepared, when Gandalf held out a pair of shoes from beside me. They looked to be made of brown leather, with matching brown laces.

"Here you are, Miss Amelia. You will be in need of these, as I'm sure your feet are not so accustomed to travelling far distances bare." I nodded my head in agreement to his statement, and thanked him. "Where is Bilbo?" I asked suddenly, as Gandalf began to stand from his seat.

He turned to look down at me, a small smirk playing at the corner at his lips. "Bilbo believes that the Baggins half of him has decided not to join us on our journey, but what he does not know is that the Tookish part of him will prevail. Do not worry, young Amelia. I do believe he will be joining us by lunch time." And with a tap on his nose and a twinkle of his eyes, he left to collect his belongings.

After about twenty minutes, the company was ready to leave. We had cleaned up the mess in Bilbo's home (after my suggestion- even though Gandalf said that Bilbo would come, I didn't really want to leave his house as filthy as it was), and put supplies onto the ponies that Gandalf had apparently acquired during the night.

I made my way towards the front door as the logical part of my brain started to kick fully into action. That only meant that I was about to have a panic attack from the dose of reality; my chest began to constrict and my breath faltered. Quickly stepping outside the round, open door, I exhaled a sigh of relief as I felt the fresh air against my skin.

The feeling of terror subsided as soon as it had come on, and I relaxed as I breathed in the cool and blissfully refreshing breeze.

I looked out across the landscape around us to what Gandalf had called The Shire, to really observe it now that it was bright outside. It was even more amazing than I had realised last night. The grass was such an intense green and the blue of the sky was the brightest blue I'd ever seen. It felt like back home I must have been looking at everything half blind, because the colours surrounding me in this world were just so bright and vibrant. I took a wild stab and guessed that pollution must be having more of an impact to the environment in my world than anyone realises.

Every minute I found something new to look at. Whether it was the birds flying overhead, the various shapes the clouds made in the sky, or even the small ripples being made in the pond, or the yellow, red and pink daisy-type flowers that were dotting the green grass that rolled and stretched as far as I could see.

I felt as though I was beginning to fall in love with this place, entranced by its beauty. I was interrupted from my pleasant thoughts by the feeling of someone being by my side. I looked to my right to find Fili standing next to me, also looking over the landscape.

"It is really beautiful, isn't it," he said, without looking at me. "I see why Bilbo does not want to join us on this journey. I only hope that at the end of this quest, I am able to understand Bilbo's concept of home, and call Erebor my own."

I was looking at his face, observing the longing evident in his eyes. I felt as though I was intruding on something though, like he had told me a detail about himself that not many knew. I didn't know how to respond to his words, other than feel guilty. After all, he had just shared something that seemed quite personal to him, yet I had completely blocked him out last night.

I snapped out of my inner monologue when he turned towards me, looking over my face and head. "You look much better this morning, Miss Amelia." He smiled at me, not just with his lips but with his bright blue eyes. They were absolutely gorgeous, and reminded me of the sky that I had been looking at minutes earlier.

"Yeah, and I feel it as well. There's nothing like a hot bath, a good night's sleep and a whole plate of bacon for breakfast to perk you right up." I grinned at him then, and he grinned right back. His eyes lit up with curiosity, and it looked as though he was about to ask me a question, when Joshua came strutting up to us.

"Amelia! How good was that breakfast, hey! I swear I've never been hungrier in my life. I helped Bofur pack the ponies, and Gandalf said that you will need to share a pony with someone. I am going to ride one by myself until Bilbo catches up, and then I'll share with him. Bofur said he's happy to share his pony with you. I told him that you like animals and you should be fine, so yeah."

He grinned down me, evidently pleased with himself for informing me of every little detail that I needed (or didn't need) to know. I smiled back at him as I replied.

"Thanks, you'd give Hedwig a run for her money." I said as I reached over and landed a gentle punch on his shoulder. He retaliated by tickling my ribs, to which my protests were quite verbal.

"Ow, shove off!" I laughed, as he stopped his assault with a grin and hurried back over to Bofur who had called his name.

With an embarrassed smile on my face, I turned to Fili who looked at me with a combination of confusion and amusement.

"Are you alright, Fili?" I joked, elbowing him lightly in the ribs. He faked real pain, bending over and clutching his side, before he replied.

"Who is _Hedwig_?" he said. He looked quite curious now, and I was trying to figure out a good way to explain a character in the Harry Potter books and films.

"Uh, well Hedwig is like a messenger owl from a book we used to read as kids, so I was just comparing Josh to her." Fili looked satisfied with my answer, and smirked at me.

"That is not from any book that I have read. What was it called? Perhaps I may recognise the name."

That stumped me. How was I supposed to tell him anything about where I was from, without explaining that I was from a different world that believed the world he had grown up in wasn't real? Yeah, _complicated_. Luckily, I was saved by Thorin (of all people) who stated that we were to leave immediately.

I began to walk over to the ponies, and spotted Bofur already sitting atop his. I felt comfortable enough getting on by myself, so I hopped up without much difficulty and sat behind Bofur. I glanced over at Fili, who was standing by his pony. He looked disappointed, and I wondered why when he looked up at me. All traces of that emotion disappeared, replaced only by a cheeky grin that lit up underneath his blonde braided moustache and beard.

"Have you ridden a pony before, lass?" Bofur said, half turning around to face me. My attention was turned from the blonde dwarf to the grinning dwarf in front of me. Up close, I could see that he was older than I realised (well I guess all of them were from what they had said; I thought Fili and Kili were my bloody age) as he had the beginnings of fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth. His personality was what made me think he was younger I suppose, as he was always smiling and talking, and had a good, lively energy about him.

"No I haven't; but I really like animals, so I'm not as scared as some people might be around them." Bofur smiled big and wide while nodding and turned back to the front of the pony. We started off after the other dwarves who had saddled up and begun on their way. As we trotted along, I was able to relax and take in my surroundings.

It was a while before Bofur talked again, and by that time the rolling hills of the shire had disappeared and we had entered a forest thinly strewn with large trees.

"So, where were you and Master Joshua from?" _Weeeeell, I'm from another world/planet/dimension, where this world isn't actually real and our father is a raging alcoholic. _Yeah, I don't think that would go down too well. I was sort of wishing that Gandalf had given us a better cover story, because I was going to have to think of a more solid back story.

"A place so far away from here, you wouldn't recognise it if I told you."

"Aye lass, you and your brother sure are mysterious. I have asked him the question half a dozen times and he still doesn't reveal the location of your homeland. Don't be ashamed of where you are from; even if you lived with Elves, we would not treat you any different. Well... Some of us wouldn't at least." He chuckled to himself as he looked over at Thorin. I guessed he was one of the Dwarves that would despise us even more than he already did if we had lived with Elves.

We continued to plod on, when I heard a yell from behind us. It wasn't one of the Dwarves as the voice was slightly too high-pitched, and when I turned around I was met with the scene of Bilbo running up to us with his contract trailing in the wind.

The sight was definitely a welcome one (that I had doubts I would actually see), as I had strangely begun to miss the Hobbit and his mother hen fussing. Even though I had known him for a day, I already valued him as someone I could entrust in.

"Wait, _wait_!" He yelled, as we stopped our ponies and he caught up to us. He walked over to Balin, looking slightly out of breath as if he had run all the way here, and said "I signed it." Balin took the contract to inspect it with a small eye piece.

"Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." I smiled at Bilbo as he glanced up at me; he looked nervous but smiled back anyway.

"Give him a pony" Thorin called out from in front of us, continuing on down the path that wove through the forest.

"No, no, no, no, that won't be necessary," Bilbo started to reply, "thank you, but I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once- ah!" Kili and Fili had interrupted his babbling by lifting him off his feet and behind Josh onto his pony.

Josh was chuckling at Bilbo, and in response to that the Hobbit scowled glares into my brothers back. The Dwarves begun to talk amongst themselves about paying bets that they must have placed earlier as to whether Bilbo would actually show up and I began to zone out again.

How did we actually end up here? Surely there had to be a particular reason that Josh and I made our way through whatever was connecting our worlds. Loads of people would hike through where we had been, and I don't recall tonnes of people going missing, just disappearing from thin air.

I tried to remember any little scrap I could from the books and movies. The only things that I recognised was Middle Earth and that Gandalf was a major part of the story, but other than those few details that I managed to scrape together when we first arrived, I was drawing a blank. I felt like there was a door in my mind that I couldn't open no matter how hard I tried.

After thinking over it for a long while, I figured that it was probably a good thing. If I knew what was going to happen before it had actually happened, I could change anything to suit me. But that still didn't stop the gnawing feeling that I constantly had in my stomach. I felt like it wasn't chance or coincidence that we landed up here, and even though I didn't know what to expect, I knew that I had to be prepared for whatever was ahead.

* * *

><p>We had been travelling for the entire morning before we stopped for a quick lunch break. Bilbo wasn't very impressed by the lack of meals, and we were all amused at his discomfort.<p>

"How many meals were you expecting, lad?" Balin called out, a small smirk on his old face.

"Well, I had breakfast, but we missed second breakfast and elevensies!" He huffed, before continuing, "Now we've had lunch, and afternoon tea, supper and dinner come afterwards, though I suppose we won't be having anything but dinner!" He crossed his arms in front of himself and plopped down on the ground beside Balin and Ori.

"Hey, Bilbo!" Josh called out suddenly from beside me. Bilbo looked up at him with a frown still on his face. "I saw an apple tree about a hundred metres back there, want me to go grab you some?" My brother grinned, the excitement rolling off of him in waves. I smothered a smile at his eagerness.

I had seen the apple tree when we were coming into the clearing that we were currently eating in. There was a small stream next to us where we refilled our water sacs (which were made out of some form of animal skin). When I had seen the tree full of delicious looking fruit, I was tempted to stop everyone to go and grab some. It was just my luck that we had stopped close-by and Josh shared my unvoiced desire for apples.

"Oh yes, Joshua, that would be wonderful!" he exclaimed. Josh and I both made our way over to him and began walking down the track back to the tree. We had only gotten about thirty metres when Kili yelled out to us.

"Wait!" I looked behind me to find Josh, Fili, Kili, Ori, Bofur and even Bombur jogging to catch up with us. I hid a smirk; my interest piquing as I watched Fili saunter up to us.

Seriously, how can anyone look _that _good?

"What's this about you three going to collect food without us?" Bombur cried out. I should have realised that he would have been the first to volunteer to help with anything that had to do with food.

"Well now that we have more hands, we can grab even more fruit!" Josh said cheerily. I mirrored Josh's sentiment. I absolutely adored fruit; it didn't matter what type it was, it basically just made me super happy.

We reached the apple tree, and realised that all the fruit were on branches that were much higher up, and none of us (even Josh) would have been able to reach them.

For several moments each of us stood there, assessing the height of the branches, before finally Kili spoke.

"I could shoot them down?" He almost questioned, looking to Fili for what seemed to be approval.

"No, lad." Bofur replied. "Don't waste your arrows on fruit. Besides, I don't think you're that good a shot." He smirked at Kili, an incredibly mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Oi! I am a much better marksman than you!" Kili said, the offense all too clear in his voice. He then proceeded to pull his bow and an arrow from his quiver in the hopes to prove Bofur wrong; however, Fili stopped him first.

"Bofur is right, there is no use wasting your arrows." Even the hand that Fili laid on Kili's shoulder did nothing to heal his brother's wounded pride.

"How else would you suggest to reach them?" Bombur said solemnly, his gaze pinned on the fruit.

The Dwarves began arguing amongst themselves, while I looked at the height of the nearest branch. Sure, I was quite short, but I felt with a running start and a boost up I may be able to reach it.

Glancing at Josh, I saw him calculating what I was sure was the same thing.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I whispered, a smirk threatening to escape my control. Josh grinned widely and nodded, moving to the base of the tree. He knelt down with his hands clasped in front of him, providing an adequate support for me to try and jump from.

Taking several steps backwards and away from the Dwarves, I started to take off the leather shoes that I was still trying to get accustomed to.

"What are you doing, Miss Amelia?" Ori called looking up from where the guys were trying to think of a way to reach the branches.

"Getting us some apples," I said simply, my eyes giving away the excitement that begun to dance through my bloodstream. I had been quite the adventurer when my mum was alive, always finding new trees to try and climb. I just loved the feeling of being up the top and being able to look over the world below me.

I couldn't help but feel a little closer to her in what I was about to do, lifting my spirit and making me feel a little lighter than I had in a long time.

Giving myself enough distance, I ran towards Josh and landed my foot on his hands. Using the momentum, I managed to push upwards and grab onto the nearest branch. I hoisted myself up and swung my legs over the top, looking down at the men below me. Josh grinned proudly, and the rest of them looked slightly amazed.

"Well done Amelia!" Bilbo shouted, gazing up at me with a look surprise. I beamed down at them, and then stood up on the branch, finding another branch to spring onto. It was as I was doing so, that I heard Fili yell out (loud enough for me to hear, as I'm sure was the point) in an amused tone.

"Aye, I'm sure any one of us would have been able to achieve such a simple feat." Glancing down at them, I could see Fili looking up at me with a smirk dancing under his braided moustache.

If he thought he could get away with that comment, he had another thing coming.

With a playful smirk of my own, I quickly reached branches with wonderfully large apples hanging off of them. Grabbing one, I took a huge bite out of it.

I smiled in appreciation; it was so delicious! It tasted different than apples I had before, but in a good way. It was slightly juicy and also had a citrusy tang to it, which I thought made a great combination.

"Josh! These are amazing, have a bite!" They weren't too far down, so I dropped the fruit towards his open hands and he caught it. With almost an identical reaction to my own, he made a few incoherent noises before shouting back his appreciation. He shared the fruit around, and I began to collect more. I picked the fruit and dropped them down to the waiting Dwarves, Hobbit and Human who began to place them in a rucksack.

Bombur was already thinking of all the meals he could add apples to, and I thought they all sounded wonderful. Fili was talking to Ori, not paying attention to the apples being dropped around him, so I decided to be a take advantage of the situation.

I picked the biggest apple I saw, and moved slightly down the branch, positioning myself directly above Fili. Dropping the apple, I watched as it landed squarely on his head with an audible '_donk!_' There was a second of silence before a chorus of laughter; Bofur and Kili had physically dropped to the ground, roaring in laughter. I tried to contain my giggles, but as soon as Fili looked up with a deep scowl on his face, I howled.

As soon as I had lost it, Fili began to relax and also joined in with a smile of embarrassment and a small chuckle. It was a while before we had calmed down enough to continue our production line of apple collection.

After we had more than we could possibly eat, I started climbing back down the tree. It was a shame I couldn't stay up there for a bit longer. The breeze was absolutely wonderful and it would be have been fantastic to climb to the top and see the view. I reached the bottom branch and jumped down onto unsteady feet, coming back to the group who were laughing and chattering amongst themselves.

Kili sidestepped to stand next to me, giving me a mischievous grin. "I would watch out, you know. Fili is very, very competitive. If you play a prank on him, he will play one on you twice as terrible. I learnt the hard way while we were growing up." With a quick wink he walked back to his brother, who had an identical smirk on his face.

_Shit_, I thought. I instantly had a bad feeling about this, though I didn't let it show that it worried me. I called over to Fili, as I smiled sweetly. "How's your head?" I watched his smirk falter slightly before he regained his composure and begun grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, fine. Dwarves have thick skulls you see. How're your feet?" My own smile faltered as I realised I had taken off my shoes and left them down here. I looked over to the grass where I had left them, seeing that they disappeared. The other Dwarves chuckled, and I figured they had been in on it.

_Well, two can play that game._ "Fili, may I please have my shoes back? Otherwise I will be forced to kick your ass." I replied innocently. His eyebrows shot up in mild surprise, and he smiled back with a wicked grin.

"I'd like to see you try," he retorted. I began walking up to him, and Kili elbowed him and said something in his ear, before they laughed. What they didn't know was that I had been training in martial arts for a year, and (even though I wasn't that good at all), it was still a slight advantage. The Dwarves watched on eagerly, though Bilbo looked worried as hell for me. Josh must have picked up on it, because he whispered something to the Hobbit and his worried expression instantly changed to him trying to suppress a laugh.

Fili was looking at me with a smug expression, and when I reached him I quickly struck my leg behind his own legs, and with a kick backwards and an arm pushed across his chest, he was down on the ground. I underestimated how much effort I needed to knock him over; if it wasn't for the surprise of my move, there was no way in hell I would have been able to even move him.

Everyone around me erupted in laughter, and the blonde Dwarf lying on the ground just looked dumbstruck as I felt. I bent down next to him, smiling innocently as I did.

"Can I please have my shoes back now?" It was Kili, who was still laughing in glee at seeing his brother getting thrown onto the ground, who replied for him.

"Here you go, lass! You deserve them after that show, by Durin's beard!" He handed me my shoes and I quickly put them on while Fili stood back up. He was still speechless, and I attempted to supress the smirk on my face as we started walking back towards the other half of the group.

On the way, Josh came over and clapped me on the shoulder. "Your training _is_ going well! That was epic!" He chuckled to himself, and I smiled at the thought that I just knocked someone on their ass. Maybe, after all that had happened over the past day, I would have a chance in looking after myself.

When we reached the others, I turned around to face a blushing and embarrassed Fili.

"No hard feelings?" I said, with my hand outstretched in surrender. He looked at my hand, then looked at me suspiciously, but eventually took my hand after some hesitation.

"Oh, no hard feelings at all Miss Amelia." He took a step closer to me, still holding my hand, as he continued. "Though we are not even in the slightest, and I mean to settle the score." And with a cheeky smirk he went to strap his rucksack of apples to his pony, as we got ready to head off again.

We travelled for the rest of the day, and I talked to Bofur all the while. He told me about his home in the Blue Mountains, which was extremely comfortable, but that he had wanted to return to his childhood home. He spoke about what he could remember of Erebor; that the halls were wide and vast, and the mines stretched downwards forever, and of the beautifully extravagant toys he was given as a kid to play with.

In return I told him about my home, or what little I could say without completely confusing him or making him suspicious about where I had come from. I realised that Fili and Ori, who were closest to Bofur and I, were also listening to our conversation.

I talked about the parks that I used to play in when I was younger, ones that Josh, Mum, Dad and I would go to. I told them how we would have picnics every Sunday, and dad would make sandwiches for us all to eat once we got to the park. Bofur asked if I missed my parents, and I sighed.

"My Mum passed away in an accident when we were younger. We miss her loads, but we don't miss our Dad." Bofur turned around to give me a questioning look, but I didn't want to reveal anything else. Despite relaxing into the midst of the company so quickly, there were many things that I didn't want to talk about to the vast majority of them.

To have already confided in Bilbo and Gandalf was something that had thrown me completely off guard; it was more than surprising and made me feel uncomfortable to have confided in someone so freely, particularly strangers. The effect of the past days' events were started to impact my typical behaviour, and I felt unprepared and ill at ease with what I was feeling.

Through my instincts I felt like I could trust them; that, however, was precisely the problem. I didn't _want_ to. There were very few people that I had been able to trust in my lifetime, and I was afraid that letting my guard down would leave me hurt again. It wasn't something that I wanted to willingly risk, despite the incredible feelings of opposition to that, which I felt deep down.

The whole situation that Josh and I had found ourselves in was something that I still had to try and understand. I didn't know the reason behind how or why we got here; _hell,_ I had only just begun to accept that this was _actually_ real.

Instead of answering Bofur's questioning gaze, I just turned my head upwards and watched the white, fluffy clouds that were drifting by, until the sky turned orange and purple and we stopped to sleep for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Thankyou to everyone that has followedfavourited! You're actually amazing :) This idea for this chapter made me super duper excited, as I wanted to start building the foundation of the friendships between Amelia/Josh and the rest of the company. I really want to make sure these relationships are built up through their interactions so that you guys can see it growing as I go along; that why I've done a few chapters but haven't gotten very far plot wise. Hope you're enjoying it so far! I hope everyone has a fantastic day/night depending on where you are :)**


	5. Haunted Past and Haunted Dreams

We had been travelling for almost two weeks, and to say that I was absolutely and utterly exhausted was to put it mildly. In my naivety, I had thought that riding horses would be a breeze; all I had to do was jump on a horse and enjoy the ride for the day, right?

_Wrong_.

My legs had felt as though they were going to fall off for the first week. Once the aching and cramps had worn down, I had to contend with chafing and rashes on the insides of my legs.

It was not pleasant in the _slightest_.

I bit my tongue and swallowed down any complaint that threatened to burst from my lips though. It would only take a smug glance from Thorin, whom I suspected knew about the hindrance the riding was causing me, to shut me up.

My somewhat stubborn personality coupled with my dislike of Thorin kept me from verbalising my discomfort, lest he were to tell me that he was right and I was wrong, and that I shouldn't continue with them.

Like I had anywhere else I could go.

We had trotted along on our ponies, up mountains and over mountains, across streams, through forests and over plateaus. Each day we had gotten up as soon as light started glinting over the horizon, and we would start setting up camp for the night as soon as there was only a little bit of light left. We would only stop quickly for lunch, and for the first few days we had plenty of apples. After that we mainly ate fresh game that Kili would shoot, dried fruit and some sort of biscuity-bread type food.

Josh and I had also been told to help on a few night watches, though we obviously had to have one of the Dwarves awake with us just in case. I didn't think it had anything to do with Thorin trusting us, but was more so in him wanting us to pull our weight.

Thorin had eased up on Josh, Bilbo and I only infinitesimally and he still didn't accept us. I guess it had only been a few weeks, though I thought he may have warmed up to at least Josh. My brother was always going around asking for jobs to do; he enjoyed keeping busy and making sure that he was, I suppose, earning his keep.

There was one night that he basically did everything. He tied up the ponies, collected fire wood and served up dinner when it was ready. It was making me feel really lazy to be quite honest, even though I did help out where I could.

Most of the Dwarves still didn't seem completely relaxed around us; they generally didn't enjoy our company for the most part, excepting a few. It didn't surprise me in all honesty, though I still tried to make an effort where I could.

Thorn was a brick wall who radiated anger and angst just about one hundred percent of the time. Dwalin still intimidated me with his hard glares and stony expression, and I did my utmost to avoid them both altogether.

From what I had gathered, most of them despised the fact that there were those within the company that had no place to be. According to most of the older Dwarves, this was _their_ quest for _their_ homeland.

_They_ could keep their stupid gold and the dragon that came with it for all I cared.

It was hard, but I stuck it out for Josh. He didn't seem to acknowledge their murmurs though, or if he did, he didn't care.

There was one night that I brought up my hesitation about some of the Dwarves, but he just smiled and said that I should just 'try to get to know them.'

I had snorted at his suggestion; what the hell could we possibly have in common with them? When I told him as much, he just _tut tutted_ my negative attitude.

Sometimes I wondered if I _was_ actually the oldest child.

So, at the advice of my brother, I tried to make conversation with them. It was extremely awkward at first with most of the older Dwarves; however, after spending every moment of every day for several weeks with them, it started becoming Slightly easier.

I did get to know more about them each day. I learnt that Ori was a writer and an artist, and not a warrior at all. He enjoyed sketching and journaling our movements each day, and I enjoyed looking at his drawings. I found out that Oin was the company's medicine man; when he discovered Bilbo and I were interested in what he knew, he begun to show us various different plants that we stumbled across and what they could be used for.

I learnt that the red headed and bearded dwarf named Gloin had a wife and son waiting for him back at the Blue Mountains, and that he missed them dearly. I had asked him why he joined Thorin's quest when he had a family waiting for him; he simply replied that the company was his family too, and he would do anything to help them.

Just like that, my sentiments towards these men had shifted. His words had made me really admire not only Gloin, but the rest of the Dwarves. They had put their lives on hold to help their brothers in Thorin's quest to take back Erebor, even when the odds were stacked majorly against them. Despite them being loud, obnoxious and incredibly rude at times (not to mention the fact that they weren't overally fond of us), they were also fiercely loyal when it came to family. It made me wonder if that was why Josh and I had started to get along with some of them so well; because, I suppose, we _weren't_ all that different.

There was one day that I was collecting fire wood with Balin. He had begun to warm to our presence, in particular Bilbo. They were getting along quite well, though Bilbo still seemed to be finding the whole experience extremely difficult. I learnt that Hobbits loved the comforts of home and didn't tend to go on adventures ever.

"Do you think Bilbo is missing home so much that he will go back?" I had asked Balin.

"I feel as though he misses home dearly, but to whether he will go back? That remains to be seen. I hope that he does feel as though he is a part of the group, but I suppose it is hard when some are so stubborn and set in their ways." I knew he was talking about Thorin in particular then.

"Can I ask you a question?" I had said to him. He nodded, before I proceeded.

"When we were first at Bilbo's home, and you learnt that we were going to join you guys on your journey, you looked really disappointed. Why?"

He had sighed, looking at me with sad eyes. "I was disappointed because you and Joshua are so young, Miss Amelia. There is every likelihood that this quest will not succeed, and I feel disheartened that two as young as yourselves should risk not surviving. I feel the same about our younger Dwarves joining us. I know they must, but I feel that Thorin has made a good home for us already in the Blue Mountains. It saddens me to risk the lives of my brothers, my family, when it could all end in tragedy. But I will follow nonetheless, because Thorin is my King."

I had thought over what Balin said for days. I finally concluded that it was one of the bravest things I had ever heard. He had made sacrifices in his life to follow and protect his king, and he was still risking his own life by just helping Thorin reclaim their homeland. I was learning more and more of the extreme loyalty of these Dwarves; I figured that if you wanted to become friends with anyone, it would be them.

Some of them had begun to feel less and less like strangers, and instead, something more.. It was something that I would compare to the beginnings of companionship or even friendship.

In particular, Josh and I had spent the most time around Bilbo, Ori, Fili, Kili and Bofur. We had laughed and talked about many things and any things that came to our minds. I supposed that was what friendship looked like; the unnerving thought gave me a weird feeling in my stomach, and it almost threatened to release me from my concern of where we were.

_Almost._

I still worried everyday about where we were headed and what was in store for me and Josh. More than once I had planned to try and take him back to The Shire so that we could find the way to get home. I knew though that it would be in vain; even if I managed to get Josh back there (which was unlikely), it would be almost impossible to find the way to get home. Hell, we didn't even know exactly how we got here in the first place.

I thought about our dad sometimes, and wondered what he would be doing. I don't know if he would have tried to look for us, but we would have been missing for some time. I supposed the police would have gotten involved if he filed a missing persons report, but no amount of searching was going to get us found. Each time I thought about him, I wondered if he cared that we were gone. And each time I asked myself this question, I regretted it instantly because I started feeling sick to the stomach. To push the thoughts out of my mind, I would try to distract myself by collecting firewood or asking one of the Dwarves to tell me about the Blue Mountains or Erebor.

The truth was I still felt hurt from what our father did to us. Not physically hurt, as my wounds healed within the first week, but I felt kind of rejected. Like, maybe we weren't good enough and maybe that's why he hurt us and didn't care for us. As soon as the thought went through my head, I knew it wasn't true. _That's bullshit and you know it_, I reprimanded myself. Josh is one of the best people in the entire world, and there is no way that he wouldn't be good enough. Our father wasn't good enough for _us_, _that's_ what it was.

We had continued on our journey in relatively good cheer and good spirits, as Thorin said we were making good ground. We had climbed up a sort of mountain on a particular day and decided to camp on a spacious rocky ledge that jutted out from the peak. It was a good spot because we could see down below us for a long while, and had a great view of the countryside. It was sunset when we started to set up camp. Bombur and Nori started preparing a stew straight away, which was mostly made up of fresh meat, vegetables and water (it wasn't all that bad though- Bombur sure could make great things of what little he had).

Josh, Kili, Bofur and Fili went to collect wood for the fire, so there really wasn't much left to do after Bilbo and I had fed the ponies. I went and sat over on the ledge of the cliff face, with my legs hanging off of the edge. The sky had turned from a deep crimson colour to shades of purple and pink to deep blue. The stars had started to come out in full force, and I just gazed upwards at the astonishing beauty of them. Looking at the stars always did a good job of making me feel insignificant, but in a good way; it always made me look at the bigger picture in life.

"Do you like the stars, Miss Amelia?" a small voice next to me asked. I jumped slightly, but in realising it was only Ori, I relaxed immediately. He must have sat down beside me in silence so that he didn't disturb me from my star-gazing.

"Ori, you don't need to call me 'Miss', anymore. We're.. We're friends now, right?" He nodded at me in earnest, before I continued. "I think they're amazing, the stars. They put everything into perspective by making you feel so small." I smiled at the Dwarf, who smiled timidly back.

"I like to think that people who have passed on from our world are also shining up there, looking down at us." He smiled sadly down at his hands. I wondered who he had lost; I only knew that he had his brothers Dori and Nori, who were with us.

"Is there someone close to you that's up there?" I asked, while looking back up to the countless lights dotting the black sky. There were a few minutes of silence before he replied.

"Yes. Our mother and father are over there." He pointed to an area close to the horizon, at two stars that were close together that seemed to be burning at a different colour to the rest. They were tinged with green, and I thought that was really odd but interesting at the same time.

"They are beautiful, Ori." He glanced over at me with a look that showed true pride and happiness. We continued to look up at the sky, revelling in the beauty of our surroundings. I so felt bad for the young dwarf. Losing parents at an early age was horrible (especially both of them) but I was glad that he had his brothers to help and protect him.

After a short while, Ori spoke again.

"Mi- I mean, Amelia, would you like to look at some of my newest sketches?" I grinned at him; I loved seeing his beautiful drawings of things we had seen along the way. So far I had seen sketches of The Shire, many different trees and rolling landscapes, squirrels and fruits and flowers. My favourites, however, were the ones of the company. He managed to capture such detail in the drawings that you could see exactly what emotions were playing out on the muse's features. For example, he had drawn a sketch of Gandalf sitting beside the fire smoking on his pipe. You could see the crease lines between his eyes and on his forehead, and you could tell he was deep in thought.

He had drawn a few others of his brothers, as well as Thorin (looking angry- no surprise there) and Bilbo, Bofur and Josh, which I really liked. Josh had been talking with Bofur at the time Ori drew him, and he had captured him mid-laugh, extremely amused by the Dwarf's stories. My brother looked so happy, like truly happy, and that wasn't something I had seen very often when we were under our fathers roof. I liked the picture so much that I asked Ori if I could keep it, and he agreed.

Ori had pulled out his sketch book from a rucksack next to him, and opened to the pages I hadn't seen before. The first was of Bofur, Bifur and Bombur; they were sitting with one another around the campfire. Bombur was eating a piece of food and looking at his brothers happily, while Bofur was smoking on a pipe and explaining something. Bifur looked on with a small smile on his face (who has part of an axe protruding from his forehead- yes; it did and does freak me out in a massive way).

It was a beautiful drawing, and I felt so entranced by the emotions that had been scribbled down with such detail. I couldn't even speak for a few moments, and I felt more than saw Ori nervously fidget next to me.

"Ori, this is… This is magnificent.. If I had any money, I would give you all of it to own this. It is so wonderful." Ori's face lit up in a smile that ranged from ear to ear at the compliment.

"Thank you Amelia! It really isn't that great, though."

"Bullshit! It is really, truly, wonderful." I moved onto the next page, and it was a picture of Fili. I studied the picture carefully, looking at each mark of the pencil. His hair and beard had been drawn so perfectly; even braids in his moustache had been sketched to the tiniest detail. But his face was incredible. There was a small smile at the corner of his lips, and his eyes had a twinkle in them that I recognised as curiosity. However, there was a look of something else that I didn't recognise; it was sort of intense, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"What was he looking at?" I wondered aloud to Ori, who sat there with a smile on his lips at my reaction to his drawings.

"He was looking at you, actually." Ori actually_ smirked_ at me with a playful glint in his eyes, and I balked.

"He- _what?"_ I looked back at the picture, trying to imagine him looking at me like that. Yeah, nope, I don't think so. "He must have been looking at, I dunno, a tree or something," I muttered to myself.

"No, he wasn't Amelia. He was looking at you. He looks at you like that, I see it sometimes." I didn't know what to say to be honest, I was pretty speechless. It was good that right at that moment, Bombur called out to tell us our meal was ready.

I handed Ori's sketchbook back to him after slowly closing it. "Thanks Ori," I smiled at him, before we stood up and made our way over to the campfire. We took our food in wooden bowls from Bombur, and I noticed that our portions were getting smaller. That disappointed me, but I resolved to find some more fruit trees our vegetables along the way so that Bombur had more to work with.

I sat next to Ori, half-listening to the conversations of the Dwarves around me. I was mostly involved in my own thoughts- _again_- thinking about what Ori had said. I didn't really understand why Fili would have been looking at me like that, but what I did know is that it made my stomach summersault and I felt super nervous about the whole thing.

It didn't help that he was ridiculously attractive. _Not at all_.

I looked over at said dwarf, who was sitting on a large fallen branch just to my right. He was gazing into the fire, his features lit up with an amber glow from the flames. Looking closely at him in the light, I could see that he looked exhausted, even more so than any of the others, including Thorin. He had dark circles under his eyes, and whatever he was thinking about was making him frown.

Still wondering about Fili, I finished my food and we began to clean up. I figured that it was my turn to do something, so I took everyone's bowls to wash. I went over to Fili, who was still gazing into the fire, and held out my hand for his dish.

"Fili?" I said questioningly, and he snapped out of the trance he seemed to be in and looked up at me.

"I'm washing up, so do you want to pass me your bowl?"

"Oh, yes, sorry Miss Amelia," he said, slightly embarrassed. He handed me the dish while watching me. In doing so, I noticed that he looked slightly alarmed and extremely worried, and it had warning bells ringing in the back of my head.

"Hey, are you alright Fili?" I said, not bothering to hide the concern that I felt. Almost instantly, his expression became guarded and wary; I knew even before he said anything that he wasn't prepared to tell me.

"Yes," he deadpanned, before standing up quickly and walking away without another word. _Well, alrighty then_. That was a bit of a smack in the face, and it made me feel sick to the stomach. He was blocking me out when I all I wanted to do was ask if he was alright, and that didn't seem fair. Then I realised, that was exactly what I had done to him though. _Ah fuck._ I still hadn't talked to him about what had happened to me and Josh the day we met the company, and I guess he still remembered that.

I was going to have to tell him what had happened, and where we had come from, otherwise he wouldn't trust me. I also had a weird feeling about what was worrying him, and I felt like I needed to know what it was.

I exhaled and sunk my shoulders. The first wave of anger that I felt at his reaction subsided, and my stomach seemed to be caught in my throat. My mind was beginning to cloud with confusion over my own emotions. A feeling deep down in my gut made me want to go after him and see if he was okay, but I quickly attempted to banish that idea from my mind.

Why did I care so much if he was okay? Why did I want him to trust me?

With frustration and confusion filling each movement, I stalked to a quieter place in the camp and cleaned the bowls in small amounts of water, putting them back into the rucksacks on the ponies. Bilbo had come over and (without realising I was there) began feeding his and Josh's horse, who he had named Myrtle.

"Hello, girl. That's a good girl. It's our little secret, Myrtle; you must tell no one. Shh, sh."

All of a sudden there was a loud sort of shriek that sounded out below us. Both Bilbo and I jumped, and Bilbo started to jump back over to camp.

"What was that?" He exclaimed, still jogging closer to the fire, where Fili and Kili had seated themselves.

"Orcs," Kili replied rather ominously. I moved back into the light of the campfire when I heard that. I was fully alert now, and I began looking around the area to try and make sure that there wasn't anything lurking behind trees or in the shadows. Not like that would do anything though, because my eyesight was crap in comparison to the Dwarves, as I had learnt.

"Orcs?" Bilbo squeaked, and I noted that Thorin had woken up with a start and was glancing around the area anxiously.

"Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens out there; the lowlands are crawling with them. They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams, just lots of blood." Kili had lowered his voice and leaned in over the fire, for what looked like dramatic emphasis. As soon as he began to smirk, I knew that he was trying to scare the shit out of Bilbo, and it had worked.

Fili, on the other hand was frowning at Kili. That surprised me, because it would usually be both of the brothers working together to prank and trick one of us. It was weird that they were out of synch, and I figured whatever was on his mind was affecting him more than anyone realised.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin said, standing up from his spot and walking across our camp. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" He was fuming, and I felt bad for Kili.

"I didn't mean anything by it," the youngest Durin said, looking quite deflated.

"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world." Thorin seethed, and he walked over to the ledge and stood looking across the mountainside.

That was when Balin begun to speak, and explained Thorin's reaction.

"Don't mind him laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first.

"Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King. Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we do not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us.

"But that is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armour rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. However, Azog the defiler learnt that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken.

"Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated, but there was no feast or song that night; for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call king."

By the end of Balin's story, the whole company were awake, standing and staring in awe at Thorin. The recounted events of Thorin's life really got under my skin as well. It was so horrible, and I couldn't imagine having to go through all of that pain in one lifetime. I now understood why he acted the way he did. He had such a heavy burden to carry, and it was no wonder that he was so bitter and didn't trust easily.

It was a familiar story, one that I knew all too well.

"What about the pale orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asked. Thorin walked back towards the campfire, while he replied.

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." He replied curtly, while he moved back to his spot where he his sleeping gear lay, and promptly got settled to go to sleep.

Everyone else did the same, except for Ori and I who were on watch tonight. We would swap with Kili and Fili after a few hours (well, when the moon reached the middle of the sky, seeing as we have no way to check time; something that was still way too weird to adjust to).

Ori and I just sat by the fire for a while, looking out into the night and watching over the company. After some time I noticed that Ori had started to nod off; he was sitting upright but his head was lulling forward.

"Ori," I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder. He jumped awake, wide-eyed and looking about us. "Hey, it's okay, nothing's wrong," I chuckled, and he relaxed significantly, before I continued. "You can go to sleep if you want; I'm still wide awake and I'll keep watch."

He smiled at me gratefully, before whispering goodnight and setting out his blankets close to his sleeping brothers.

My heart warmed at the lack of hesitation from Ori; at least someone in the group didn't doubt my abilities. The thought left a smile on my face and quelled the barrage of negative emotions tumbling through my mind.

I spent the rest of my watch looking at the night sky, and walking around camp to make sure the ponies were relaxed and everything was alright. I walked over to where Josh was sleeping, and saw him sprawled across the ground with his mouth wide open while he snored. I smiled at his unconscious body and went back to the fire to warm my hands.

After a while, I looked up at the sky again and realised that my watch was done, so I walked over to where the Durin brothers were sleeping. They were just as sprawled out as Josh was, and I was about to kick Kili awake when I really looked at Fili properly.

He was extremely pale and had a thin sheen of sweat covering what parts of his face you could see; his hair was damp and strands of blonde were clinging to his forehead. His eyebrows were drawn into a frown and his lips were moving as he mumbled a string of incoherent words.

I moved from his brother over to him. Kneeling down, I brought my hand to his forehead to move the pieces of hair that clung there and checked his temperature. He was burning up, and I was freaking out because I had no idea what to do.

"Fili!" I whispered, shaking his shoulder slightly, but when he didn't wake up I shook him harder by both shoulders. "Fili, wake up! It's just a nightmare," I continued to whisper to him. I brought my face close to his to murmur into his ear, trying to wake him without waking everyone in the process, my fear rising with each moment that passed.

As soon as I did that though, Fili's eyes blinked open and what I saw scared the life out of me. I saw rage and horror in his eyes, it was as clear as day. I didn't even know what had scared him, but by his expression, _I_ was terrified.

In a split second, he had reached to his belt and pulled out a knife. I didn't have any time to react as he grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me closer to the knife he now held against my throat with his other hand.

I couldn't even get anything coherent out for a few seconds, but when I did, I sounded desperate even to my own ears.

"Fili, stop, it's me, Amelia! Please, it was just a nightmare, Fili, wake up, please Fili!" I choked out in a hushed whisper. His grip was tightening, and it was getting harder to breathe. I begged him with my eyes to let go of me, and I was about to scream for help when he let go of my neck and dropped his knife to the ground between us.

"A-Amelia?" he questioned, with confusion in his eyes and within the tones of his voice. I dropped backwards onto my ass, clasping my throat and sucking in deep breaths. There was pain across my neck, but my hands didn't feel wet so I guessed the knife hadn't quite cut my skin. Fili looked so panicked; I didn't know what had just happened but I was feeling the same way.

"Fili," I managed to make out after a few moments, "W-what the fuck j-just happened?" His look of panic turned to confusion and the frown on his face returned as he thought hard about what _had _happened. After a few moments, his head snapped back up to face me, the panicked look back again.

"Kili," he simply said, and he jumped up to check on his brother. I sat there looking at the ground, hand still clutching my neck. My eyes started to well up with tears because I was so fucking freaked about what had just happened. The tears finally rolled over and down my cheeks, and a small hiccup bubbled from my lungs. I felt like I was starting to have an anxiety attack, and I was concentrating on getting my breathing under control so much, that I didn't realise Fili had come back over and now knelt in front of me.

He quickly, though gently, outstretched his hand to cup my cheek, before I had even looked up at him. When I did, he was looking at my neck with a furrowed brow and anger in his eyes. I knew straight away that he was only angry at himself, especially by the way he was swearing at himself under his breath in English and I assumed in his native tongue.

"Mahal, what have I done to you Amelia.." It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement, each word laced with regret.

One part of me wanted to go and hide far away, but another part told me that this was something I couldn't run away from. Not this time. I needed to prove that I could handle myself, otherwise, how else could I look after Josh? So I sucked it up and stopped crying, making sure that I wiped the tears away before I started.

"You need to tell me exactly what happened, in your dream I mean." I looked him in the eye, and he looked so pained and upset it hurt. My stomach lurched because I knew what I was about to hear wasn't going to be good. He nodded his head and looked down at his hands, and after a few minutes he began to explain.

"It was a dream.. A nightmare.. It felt so real, it felt like it was truly happening. The company were in a battle, a battle like no one had ever seen. There were thousands of orcs and we were outnumbered. I tried to stay close to Kili.. I-I tried to protect him, but he was.." He paused, taking in a sharp breath before the rest of his dream came tumbling from his mouth.

"Kili was stabbed by an orc, and I tried to get to him but there were orcs everywhere. I felt like I was fighting for hours to get to him but I came no closer." He closed his eyes with a look of pain at the memory. "I must have thought you were an orc when you were trying to wake me, and I am so sorry Miss Amelia, Mahal only knows how truly sorry I am."

Even though I had almost been seriously injured by Fili, I really felt in my gut that I needed to help him. I don't know why, I don't know how, but it reminded me of the foreboding feeling I had earlier in the night when I had talked to him.

"It isn't your fault, okay? And I really mean that." He looked up to me with a questioning look, but I continued. "This isn't the first one you've had, is it?" He frowned and began to say something, though again I continued. "You've been looking exhausted, more than everyone else. And your behaviour has been different to usual, especially how you've been acting around your brother."

"You are extremely observant, Miss Amelia," he half whispered, looking at me with a slightly curious expression even though he was still dead serious.

"I was studying psychology- um, human behaviour- when I was back… When I was still at home." I seemed to pique his curiosity even more, as he began asking me questions.

"And where is your home?"

"It's a completely different world from yours, trust me. Though I like your stars better, and the air is much cleaner." He tilted his head inquisitively, raising an eyebrow as he did so, I guessed to prompt me to continue. I decided I would tell him my story once I had finished asking him about his nightmare.

"Are you scared that you can't protect Kili?" He sighed, nodding his head slowly.

"Aye. I don't know if I can protect him. I have always done so, since we were just small lads, and I feel as though I may fail in keeping him away from danger on this quest. We both wanted to come on the journey to Erebor; Thorin told us stories about our homeland when we were boys, and we dreamt of the day we would be able to help claim our Uncle's throne."

"They are just nightmares though Fili, you know that right? Your subconscious is playing on your fears and insecurities. If it makes you feel better though, I will help you look after Kili. I know how you feel; we are both the oldest and we want to look after our younger siblings because we feel like it's our responsibility. So I will help you look after him, I pinky swear."

Fili smiled at my offer, but I lost him at 'pinky swear'.

"What is a _pinky swear_?" he asked, emphasising the words like it was a new taste on his tongue. I chuckled quietly at his question, and he smiled curiously back, half laughing.

"It's like a promise, or an oath I guess. You promise something, and you can't break it because it's one of the highest promises you can make." He nodded seriously, before I continued.

"I swear to help you look after your smartass brother." I held out an outstretched pinky finger, and he looked at it in curiosity before looking up to me. He hesitantly lifted his own, and I took it, shaking his whole arm for emphasis.

"What happens if a pinky swear is broken?" He asked.

"Umm.. I guess you would lose the trust of the person if they broke it." He nodded earnestly, and then spoke again.

"You should go to sleep. I will wake Kili. Miss Amelia.. Is there anything I can do for your forgiveness?" He looked at me sadly as he hesitantly reached for my neck and gently touched the spot where he had held the knife. My stomach did flips at the contact and I the blood rushed to my cheeks.

"Just forget about it. You don't owe me anything, really." With what I hoped was a reassuring smile, though was probably more of a grimace, I stood up and walked over to my sleeping bag next to Josh, and got settled in.

While I was lying there, I heard a quiet singing from who I guessed was Fili. It was a sad sort of song, very similar to what I had heard in Bilbo's home the first night we had come here. As I did back then, I began to drift into sleep. I was on the edge of unconsciousness when the singing stopped. The last thing I remembered, were fingers moving the hair from my face and soft lips against my forehead, as I tipped over into the blackness of sleep.

**Hey guys! Hope you're all well :) A big thank you to my new favouriters/followers, and also Red089 for reviewing! You are amazing :D It took me a bit longer than I hoped to write this as I have been working heaps, but I have finally written/edited it! It is longer than I was expecting as well, because it was only going to be a Fili/Amelia chapter but it turned out to be a significant chapter for Ori too. Soo make sure you review/follow! It makes me super happy :')**


	6. Troll Hordes and Eccentric Wizards

We had travelled almost another week, until we came across what looked like a collapsed farmhouse where Thorin decided we would set up camp for the night. I overheard Gandalf speaking to Thorin, and he didn't seem too happy about the decision.

"I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley." Gandalf looked kind of worried, and on closer inspection of the farmhouse, I could see that it had been burnt to the point that there wasn't a whole lot left.

"I have told you already, I will not go near that place." Thorin replied curtly.

"Why not? The Elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice," the Wizard almost pleaded with the King under the mountain, but he wasn't having any of it.

"I do not need their advice" the Dwarf deadpanned, though Gandalf was determined to try and get through to him.

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us."

"Help?" Thorin seethed, "A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria and desecrate our sacred halls, yet the Elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father."

"You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold onto the past."

"I did not know they were yours to keep." Thorin glared at the old Wizard, and Gandalf huffed and began to storm away from him and right past us.

"Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?" Bilbo exclaimed.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense." Gandalf replied curtly, which was uncharacteristic of him.

"Who's that?" Bilbo asked, and Gandalf replied as he quickly marched back the way we had come.

"Myself, Mr Baggins! I've had quite enough of Dwarves for one day!" We watched him disappear into a thick area of trees before anyone said anything.

"Is he coming back?" Bilbo asked Balin, though no one replied to his question. I continued to stare into the forest, my teeth chewing on the inside of my lip in sudden nervousness.

I hadn't actually realised before that moment how much of an impact Gandalf's presence had on me. He had been the first person to find us in... in Middle Earth; he had taken us in and helped us when we had no bloody idea what was going on. I was still looking out and wondering if he was actually leaving us, when Josh came over and stood next to me.

"It feels weird, doesn't it?" Josh said quietly. He looked towards the same direction as I did, and I just nodded, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"He will come back though; I mean he was the first person to find us. He wouldn't just leave us when we still have a bunch of questions about why we are here, would he?" Gandalf did say that we could join them so that we could try and find out why we ended up in Middle Earth. Truth be told, I really didn't know where to start without him, and I felt completely lost.

"Nah, it's Gandalf. I reckon he will be back." My brother grinned and I smiled at his positivity. It made me feel better, even if only slightly.

We set up camp pretty quickly (we were getting ridiculously efficient at it) and waited for dinner to be cooked. Fili and Kili were off looking after the ponies, Bifur and Dwalin were on watch, and Bofur and Bombur were cooking.

I hadn't talked to Fili much while we were travelling during the days, but at night we would talk together for a while. I had finally told him about where Josh and I were from, and that Gandalf thought we had been brought here for a reason. At first he thought that I was playing a prank on him, and he didn't believe me that we had come from a different world. He soon realised I wasn't joking, and when I told him about our father, he became furious and started swearing in Khuzdul (Ori had-_secretly_-told me it was their language).

"_Khagam menu penu shirumund_", he had spat out. "Blasted orc-spawn! Amelia, he cannot get through to this world to get you, can he?" I hadn't thought about that, but I really doubted so and I told Fili as much. He cooled down a little bit but he was still pretty pissed that that had happened to us, and I agreed.

Fili didn't want me to tell anyone about his nightmares, and I reluctantly agreed, but I had slept near to Fili each night after that. I wasn't so close that it looked suss, but I was close enough that I could hear him tossing and turning during one of his dreams and I would wake him up. He slept with his knives and daggers close to his rucksack instead of in his clothing just in case there was a repeat of the first time I tried to wake him. However, it was getting easier to wake him out of his nightmares, and even then they were getting less frequent. Fili had even gone back to his normal playful attitude around Kili, though I could still see in his eyes that he worried about his brother.

I felt exactly the same about Josh. He was fitting in really well with most of the Dwarves; Kili and Bofur in particular had taken a liking to my brother. They were like the three musketeers or something because they were always going off and exploring, though Fili and I generally weren't too far behind.

We were both looking out for each other's sibling, and I felt way better that Fili was keeping an eye on Josh. I really thought he pulled the short straw on that one though; he could do a hell of a lot more to protect Josh than I could do to help Kili, and it made me feel kind of useless, which I hated.

Though Fili didn't mention it at all, I remembered him kissing my forehead before I fell asleep that night. He made me really nervous, in the way that when I randomly saw him smile my stomach felt like it was trying to bounce away, and that in turn really annoyed me. I tried denying to myself that I found him attractive, but I really did. Not just physically, but in his personality; he had a good sense of humour and knew how to have fun, but also knew the right times to be serious.

I didn't really want to think about it though. About 95 percent of me wanted to focus on finding out why the hell we were here, with as little difficulties as possible, so that my brother would be alright. The other 5 percent, however, wanted to have a little bit of fun with the company and get to know Fili more.

Ultimately, I resolved to just shut the off that five percent of my brain.

Again, I had been lost in my own thoughts when the call for dinner came. Bofur was handing out bowls of stew and I scoffed mine down quickly. Despite finding some food along the way and the portion sizes being a little bigger, I was forever hungry. I had been craving pancakes and hot chips for the past three days and obviously nothing was going to sate that craving, besides actually getting back to our world.

When I was finished I started cleaning up everyone's bowls. As I was doing so, Bofur asked Bilbo to take two bowls of dinner to Kili and Fili. What I didn't notice until about ten minutes later was that Josh wasn't in camp anymore, and I assumed he had gone with Bilbo.

I continued with the cleaning, but I had begun to feel really anxious and I wasn't sure exactly why, though I assumed it was because Josh wasn't in my sight. I sighed and put the bowls away before heading towards the ponies. I walked through some thick trees and undergrowth, scanning and listening to what was in front of me to try and find exactly where they were.

After tripping a few times on random tree roots and bushes, I finally made it to the ponies but there was no sign of the others. I frowned, wondering where they had gone, but I could hear hushed voices from a little ahead of me and I continued walking. Getting closer to the voices, I started to voice my annoyances.

"What the heck are you guys doing? You're supposed to be looking after the ponies, and I don't appreciate going ass-up trying to-umph!" At that point a hand had appeared from beside me and covered my mouth to end my complaining. I narrowed my eyes at the offender, before promptly biting one of his large fingers.

"Ouch! In the name of Durin's beard, Amelia, what was that for?" Fili exclaimed in a hushed voice, snatching his hand back and frowning at me.

"Well why did you cover my mouth? And why are we being quiet?" I whispered angrily back to him.

He just shushed me and grabbed my arm, dragging me towards an orange light that I suddenly noticed close by. We ducked down behind a fallen tree and that was when I heard several loud, obnoxious voices. I noticed Kili was ducked next to the log, looking towards the light with a panicked look on his face.

"Guys, what is going on, and where are Bilbo and Josh?" I questioned suspiciously, my voice beginning to edge towards anger. Both of them fidgeted before Kili blurted everything out.

"We noticed some of the ponies were gone so we asked Bilbo to investigate and we found three trolls had taken them so Bilbo went to release them but Josh didn't want him going alone so he also went" he rushed out in a single breath.

"What the _fuck_?" I burst out, looking in horror at the two brothers.

Oh, the guilt and terror that crossed both of their faces. Fili stared at me, the look in his eyes telling me instantly that he knew he had fucked up.

"You sent _Bilbo _and _Josh_ in to get the ponies? From _trolls_? But what then? You think these trolls are going to just let them swagger off with our ponies into the sunset?" I glared at the two of them, hoping they caught onto my sarcasm.

I was going to hit both of them upside the head.

"We were going to tell Thorin," Fili started, "But we thought we could take care of it ourselves. How hard could a few trolls be to deal with?" Kili finished.

There was a loud "_thwap_" noise and an obnoxious whine from one of the trolls I assumed, and I looked at the two pointedly.

"Hurry up and get Thorin you idiots!" I pushed Fili hard on the shoulder for emphasis, and I jumped from behind the log as he yelped in surprise. I rounded a few of the trees, getting closer to the fire while being as quiet as possible. Moving closer, I was absolutely shocked by what I could see.

There were three _massive_ humanoid shaped figures around the fire, bickering amongst themselves while they cooked over a large pot. They vaguely reminded me of the troll in Harry Potter, though these ones seemed a _little_ bit more switched on. They were large, stocky and grey, and had the ugliest faces of anything I had ever seen. And they smelt.

_God,_ they smelt.

I looked around the area for any sign of Bilbo and Josh, but I saw the four ponies first. They had been put in a make-shaft stable sort of thing, made from large branches and logs. I moved around the edge of the clearing towards the ponies, and saw Bilbo and Josh in the process.

Bilbo was attempting to grab a large knife (more like a hooked sword, really) from the belt of the barely clothed troll, and I just about gagged at the proximity the Hobbit was to the large beast. Josh was crouched by the horses, attempting to undo the ropes that were holding the temporary enclosure together, and I moved quietly over towards him to try and help.

He jumped just about a metre off the ground when I appeared at his side, but I made sure I covered his mouth so he didn't make a noise. I looked over at Bilbo, who was having a hard time trying to get the knife, before turning back and attempting to untie any ropes I could.

"Me guts are grumbling, I've got to snaffle something. Flesh! I need flesh!" One of the trolls complained, and I looked over just as the troll reached behind him without looking, picked up Bilbo by accident, and sneezed all over the little Hobbit.

I froze, not knowing what to do. The troll began to freak out upon seeing Bilbo in his hands, covered in snot, while I was having a hard time trying not to throw up my dinner.

"Argh! Blimey! Bert, Bert! Look what's come out of me 'ooter! It's got arms and legs and everything!" The other two crowded around, looking at Bilbo in confusion and fascination.

"What is it?" One of them asked, starting to frown.

"I don't know, but I don't like the way it wriggles around," said the one holding Bilbo, before throwing the Hobbit onto the ground.

Bilbo looked dazed, but quickly jumped up and rounded on the trolls, trying to move away from the ugly creatures. Josh and I stood up, and quietly moved towards Bilbo while staying out of the sight of the trolls.

"What are you then? An oversized squirrel?" one of them grumbled at Bilbo.

"I'm a burglar-uhh, hobbit," Bilbo stuttered out in reply. _Smooth_, I thought. Nothing like telling them we are thieves, I couldn't imagine a quick and painless death after that admission. Surprisingly, they didn't catch on to Bilbo's slip up. They were definitely dumber than I first anticipated.

"A Burgla-hobbit?" the troll replied, as another asked "can we cook 'im?"

"We can try!" the other exclaimed, as he made a grab for Bilbo. Bilbo managed to duck and weave through their hands without being caught, while the three thick-headed trolls began discussing the best way to cook Bilbo, and whether there were any more of him around.

Josh and I were behind a tree just outside of the clearing, when they finally grabbed the Hobbit, and began to ask him if there were any more of his kind. Before he answered, Josh picked up a rock, and half stepped from behind the tree to throw it at one of the troll's heads.

Fortunately, it made its mark and hit one of them directly between the eyes. It was the troll that seemed to complain and whine the most, and he dropped to the ground holding his face in pain.

"Argh, me head, me head!" he yelled out, and the other two trolls forgot about Bilbo for a moment while they scanned the area, eyes narrowed.

"Where did that come from, Tom? I told ya, din't I, there is more than one burgla-hobbit!"

At that moment of distraction, I saw Kili jump through the other side of the clearing and using his sword, he lunged at the closest troll and slashed at its leg.

"Drop him!" Kili yelled, after the troll fell to the ground howling in pain. _What are you doing you idiot, you were supposed to get Thorin_! I inwardly stressed to myself. If they didn't get the rest of the company, this wasn't going to end well for Bilbo.

"You what?" the troll said as he looked at Kili in surprise. The Dwarf smirked up at the disgusting creature as he replied.

"I said, _drop him_." I saw the troll grin slightly back just before he threw Bilbo straight at Kili. Kili dropped his sword and opened up his arms to catch the Hobbit, but the impact threw both of them to the ground. Luckily, at that moment the rest of the company charged in from the trees at the edge of the clearing. They brandished their weapons and begun to attack the trolls from all directions, jabbing and cutting their legs, slicing and poking their feet, throwing rocks at their faces and yelling out taunts to them.

More than a few times, the Dwarves were thrown to the ground, as well as picked up and dropped. It was absolute chaos, really. I could see Bofur whacking and thwacking away at tree trunk legs while the creatures howled, yelped and screamed in pain. One of the blows that Bofur managed to land must have been so painful that it made the troll seethe in rage. The troll turned around and kicked Bofur, causing him to land a few metres away behind one of the other trolls, who was stepping back and back and back..

Josh was watching the same thing, and we both realised that Bofur was still dazed and hadn't gotten back up, and hadn't even seen the troll that was about to step on him. I looked at Josh as he looked at me with a determined look on his face, and in the next instant he ran out from behind the tree towards Bofur.

"Ah, _fuck_!" I yelled as I jumped out from behind the tree into the clearing. I ran up to the troll that was only a metre or so away from the Dwarf that Josh had reached and was trying to help up. I didn't really know what to do, except for something that I was particularly good at; firing insults and profanities.

"Hey! Hey you, you fat lump of shit! Come over here and get me, if you can catch me, you big potato!" I yelled at the troll as I danced around. The troll caught onto my insults and on finding where they were coming from, he lumbered forward in an attempt to grab me.

I jumped to the side easily, and the troll roared in anger before taking another swipe at me. Again I ducked out of the way, and in doing so I picked up a rock and lobbed it with all my strength straight at its face. It hit him right in the eye and the troll covered his face with his fat hands and bellowed in pain. Josh had moved Bofur out of the way of the fighting in the meantime, and they sat just inside the clearing away from the fat trolls.

The troll stood back up and was about to go for me again, but he noticed four ponies run past him and looked to see that it was Bilbo who released them. The creature narrowed his eyes in anger at the hobbit, before quickly moving over and picking him up.

"Bilbo!" I yelled out, and the rest of the company looked to see that the trolls had moved together and had Bilbo held by the arms and legs. The company moved together also, and there were a chorus of yells and shouts in anger at the trolls and concern for Bilbo.

"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off," one of the trolls stated. Thorin looked at the troll, then at the Hobbit, as if contemplating whether it was worth giving ourselves up for Bilbo. I glared at him (even though he didn't see) until he finally speared his sword into the ground. Everyone else threw down their weapons in bouts of frustration at not being able to fight to get Bilbo.

Once we were free of our weapons, one of the trolls held onto Bilbo while the other two came closer to where we were. One of them grabbed a handful of something from near their campfire, and the second started by picking up Bombur. The company started yelling again, and the first troll brought over a bunch of what looked like sacks.

With difficulty, they stuffed Bombur into one of them, and begun grabbing the rest of us and doing the same. The troll came to me and I held my breath as he picked me up, but I could still _smell_ the vile stench coming off of it in waves. As they threw me into the sack and tied it up, I started yelling at them in anger at being surrounded by the smell and chucked in a bag.

"Would it kill you to have a damn shower? You guys actually smell like something has died. It's fucking horrid." Their response was to throw me with force onto the pile of Dwarves (including Bilbo and Josh) and I landed on top of Thorin and Kili.

"Umph! Uhh, sorry guys," I said while groaning and rolled off of them. Their grunts and moans of pain were the only response I got, and I really hoped I hadn't broken anything of theirs.

The trolls started making a spitfire and picked Bofur, Dwalin, Dori, Nori and Ori to tie onto it. It actually looked like the most uncomfortable thing, being spun slowly around a fire; I could already see the Dwarves sweating immensely with the heat, and they began yelling at the trolls to let them go.

"Don't bother cooking them. Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly."

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage."

"Ooh, that does sound quite nice!"

The trolls continued on like this for a while, discussing the best way to cook and eat us. I was starting to freak out again, because as you'd expect, I didn't want to get eaten by a fucking troll for dinner. I wriggled around in the sack I was in, trying to loosen the bag around me somehow, but it wasn't working.

"Argh!" I exclaimed in frustration. "I'll be damned if I let a troll eat me or my brother!" I began wriggling again, but I was told to stop by Thorin.

"Miss Amelia, stop your blasted moving, or you will draw attention to yourself and us." He hissed at me, and I just glared at him without a verbal response. He was right though, and even though I didn't like Thorin, I was glad that Josh was hidden from view behind the Dwarf-King.

"Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night! Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone." One of the trolls grumbled to the other. All of a sudden, Bilbo jumped up and yelled out to the trolls.

"You're making a terrible mistake!" he stated, looking up at them.

"You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!" Dori yelled out to Bilbo, who had his back facing to us lying tied up on the ground.

"Half-wits?" Bofur exclaimed, "Then what does that make us?" I snorted in agreement with him; the trolls were so thick, and we had all managed to get captured by them and were about to be eaten.

"Uh, I meant with the uh, um, with the seasoning," Bilbo stammered out. I frowned at the Hobbit, wondering what he was playing at. I looked behind the trolls and noticed a pale light coming over the rocks there. _Dawn_. The trolls were talking before about being turned to stone at dawn, and I guessed that was what Bilbo was playing on.

But stone, _really_? I had my doubts that anything would happen, but Bilbo was smart as hell to play for time regardless.

"What about the seasoning?" the troll said, looking at Bilbo in curiosity.

"Well, have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." Bilbo said to the trolls quietly, but not quietly enough. The Dwarves heard and roared in anger at him. Some of them were even calling him a traitor, and I rolled my eyes.

"What do you know about cooking Dwarf?" The older looking troll asked almost suspiciously. I held my breath, hoping that they didn't see through Bilbo's plan.

"Shut up, and let the, uh, _flurgaburburrahobbit_ talk," the other troll said, still curious about what Bilbo was going to say next.

"Uh, the-uh, the secret to cooking dwarf is, um…" Bilbo seemed to be wracking his brain for something to suggest.

"Yes, Come on! Tell us the secret!" The curious troll said, trying to nudge an answer out of him.

"It's-uh, yes, I'm telling you, the secret is… to skin them first!" Bilbo sounded quite proud in spite of what he had said. The Dwarves were outraged, and rightly so. Buying time was good, but not if we were going to get skinned in the process!

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all." The troll looked at us hungrily, and I had no idea how he just suggested cooking us but I shrunk down in my place away from his greedy eyes. The dopey sounding troll began to walk over to us as he spoke.

" 'e's right! Nuthin' wrong with a bi' of raw dwarf! Nice and crunchy!" I froze, looking at his hungry eyes, and realising that he wasn't coming over for a chat. I closed my eyes and sunk further in my place, as I felt an immense weight against my body. _Well, I'm not going down without a fight_, I thought to myself.

I opened my eyes and my mouth, ready to scream until my lungs gave way, but what I saw wasn't a troll about to pick me up. It was Fili, who was half lying on top of me. Immediately I tried to push him off.

"Fili, what the hell are you doing? Get off," I whispered angrily at him, and he narrowed his eyes at me, but didn't move.

"Stop talking Amelia; do you want the dim-witted troll to eat you first?" _Oh, right_, I thought in realisation. He was hiding me from the trolls, protecting me.

"Whoops, sorry," I whispered to him, smiling sheepishly. I looked over his shoulder to see that the creature had picked up Bombur, and was hanging him upside down above his mouth. I was about to yell something, but Bilbo got there first.

"Not-not that one, h-he's infected!" the Hobbit yelled out in a rush. All of the trolls froze, looking at Bilbo in horror and disgust.

"You what?" one of them yelled out.

"Yeah.. He's got worms in his… tubes.." The troll holding Bombur gasped in shock and dropped him back on top of the group, narrowly missing Fili and I.

"In fact, they all have. They're in-infested with parasites. It's a terrible business, I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't." Bilbo's plan was going well, until the Dwarves (and Josh) roared in disgust at the accusation.

"What the hell, Bilbo! Don't make up crap!" Josh called out at the hobbit.

"Parasites, did he say parasites?" Oin questioned.

"We don't have parasites! You have parasites!" Kili yelled at Bilbo in anger.

They all continued, and I huffed out in frustration.

"Shut up! Can't you see what he's trying to do?" I said in a frustrated whisper. The group of Dwarves on the ground went silent, before they changed tactics.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Oin exclaimed.

"Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!" Kili yelled out proudly.

"We're riddled," Nori called out from the spit, as his brother Ori yelled in agreement, "Yes I'm riddled!"

The suspicious troll piped up then, an apprehensive look on his face. "What would you have us do then, let 'em all go?"

"Well…" Bilbo trailed off, as the troll yelled out in anger.

"You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools!" The troll moved to grab at Bilbo, but a loud voice from behind stopped him in his tracks.

"The dawn will take you all!" the voice bellowed, and I instantly recognised it as Gandalf! I pushed Fili off of me so I could get a better look, and he made an '_oomph_' noise as I did so.

Gandalf was standing on a large rock, and I could see the sunlight begin to stream over from behind him. The trolls began asking whether they could cook Gandalf as well, but the wizard promptly lifted his staff and slammed it on the rock below him. He jumped to one side as a large split formed down the middle, breaking the rock clean in half, and allowing the sun to rush straight through.

The trolls howled and moaned in pain as they tried to shield themselves, but they began to stiffen until they stopped mid stance. I peered through the sunlight and realised that they had actually turned to stone. Like, literal stone, and they were frozen in their cowering positions. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and the company cheered and applauded for Gandalf.

Gandalf came and helped us out of the sacks, so we could all help the other Dwarves off of the spit without them getting burnt. While Gandalf and Thorin walked away from the company, I found Bilbo in the meantime and hugged him tightly; something that both of us were slightly surprised about.

"Bilbo, you are brilliant. Thank you!" I exclaimed, smiling at him as I put him back down on his hairy feet. He blushed and fidgeted with his hands, before replying.

"It wasn't anything, Miss Amelia, but thank you nonetheless." He smiled at me, and the Dwarves came over and patted him on the back in thanks for his quick thinking, despite not appreciating being called smelly and infested with parasites.

I also went over and gave Josh a hug, voicing my relief at him being okay.

"I'm glad you weren't eaten by a disgusting troll, little brother," I grinned at him and he punched me lightly on the shoulder as he replied.

"Yeah, it's good that you weren't turned into jelly or grilled or skinned, though even if they had tried you wouldn't have made it easy for them. Oh, your insults are classic! _Potato_." He emphasised the last word and begun laughing at me, but I joined in.

"Hey, don't hit on my creativity in stressful situations. I am a literary genius and swearing is my strong suit." I grinned smugly at him, and he just shook his head in laughter.

Thorin and Gandalf moved back to the group, telling us that there was more than likely a troll cave nearby, and we had to try and find it. We began searching, and it was Bifur and Gloin who found a rocky formation with a large cave jutting inwards and downwards underneath said rocks into the ground.

Gandalf and Thorin entered first, followed by Bofur, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Dwalin and Oin. I was about to go inside, when I caught a waft from the depths of the cave. I just about ran to the closest tree, and I took long and deep breaths to try and forget the rancid and festering smell that had emitted from trolls 'living' space. I thought I was going to be sick, but Josh and Bilbo came over and were a welcome distraction.

"Oh hey guys, I'm just, you know, examining this tree," I said, trying not to seem as sick as I felt.

"Miss Amelia, you look as pale as a sheet." Bilbo said, his brows furrowing in concern.

"It's okay, it's just that cave smelt like rotten eggs, fish, festering milk and dead things all mixed in at once, so I'm just trying to recover." I dry-retched at my own explanation, and could have hit my 'literary genius' self in the head.

Josh knowingly moved the topic of conversation onto other things, like the fact that we had seen actual trolls and how no one would believe us if we ever did get home.

"You don't have trolls in your world?" Bilbo said, slightly shocked.

"Nah, not even Hobbits, or Elves or dragons. Just people, uh men." Josh explained. Bilbo hummed in thought, before he replied.

"I believe it might be a better world, particularly if you don't have dragons!" Bilbo said, still thinking about the information we had just given him.

"But Bilbo, not all monsters breathe fire or look like trolls." I grimaced at him, and he looked at me with sad eyes, but nodded in understanding.

The Dwarves started emerging from the trolls cave, and when Gandalf finally came out he called Bilbo over to him. Josh stayed with me, and we sat down.

"We haven't slept in over a day," I said to Josh, and he sighed sadly. His favourite pastime was basically sleep, next to reading, playing video games and watching movies, so I could imagine how he was beginning to feel.

I looked over at Gandalf and Bilbo, and I saw that the wizard had given him what looked like a sword. I made a mental note to ask Gandalf if we could stop somewhere along the way to get a weapon for Josh and I. The thought of needing a weapon really disturbed me, and I would rather not have one (I'd rather just be naïve and pretend that the rest of the trip would be smooth sailing), but I had to be honest with myself. If the past few hours were anything to go by, we needed something better than rocks to protect ourselves with.

As if to echo my thoughts, Thorin began yelling out to the company.

"Something's coming!" A feeling of dread washed over me, and I jumped up as quickly as I could and dragged Josh with me. Holding onto his hand, I pulled him into the middle of the company as Gandalf yelled out.

"Stay together! Hurry now, arm yourselves!" The Dwarves moved with lightning speed into the centre of the clearing we were in. They drew their knives, swords, warhammers and axes out of their clothing and scanned the surrounding area in defensive positions. I was so tense, and I had made sure Josh was standing closest to the trolls cave but near Gandalf. If things went badly, Josh could hide in the cave. I had no fucking idea what we were expecting, but I could hear it approaching through the leaf litter on the ground.

All of a sudden, a sled led by a bunch of rabbits came into the clearing, only stopping just before running into the company. There was a man on the sled, dressed in completely brown; brown pants, a brown cloak and a brown hat. He had grey-brown hair and a beard that looked like it hadn't been washed ever, and the man looked absolutely terrified. I honestly felt like this was the sort of thing people imagined when they took drugs.

I could not imagine this situation getting any weirder. I looked around at the Dwarves, and they looked just as confused and bewildered as I felt. Finally, Gandalf spoke.

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown. Ah, what on Earth are you doing here?" Gandalf moved towards the man, looking slightly suspicious. I realised that I recognised that name though. I wracked my memory, before realising that Gandalf had talked about a man called Radagast the Brown, a Wizard in his group. That made a bit more sense, but I was still confused as to what was going on.

"I was looking for you Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong." The poor guy looked really scared, and it made me nervous. Well, if a powerful Wizard is scared of something, then that surely means trouble, right?

"Yes?" Gandalf prompted, as Radagast frowned before responding.

"Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue." The wizard looked up to Gandalf in mild surprise, before continuing.

"Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old… Stick insect!" Gandalf had pulled an actual stick insect off of the tip of Radagast's tongue as he finished the sentence, and placed it on the ground.

I had spoken too soon; it had definitely gotten weirder.

Gandalf and Radagast went into the forest a little way to speak privately and I frowned. I thought that we should know what was going on, especially if it freaked out the Wizard that much (thinking about it though, it probably didn't take much to scare him). Ori and Bifur had gone to get the ponies in the meantime, and I went over to talk to Fili.

"Hey, Fili." He turned around from speaking to his brother, and looked at me with a cheeky smile.

"What is it Miss Amelia? Can you not keep away from me?" He winked at me, and I had to supress a laugh that was bubbling out of my chest.

"You're not irresistible like you think you are, you smartass." Well, he kind of was, but I wasn't about to admit that to anyone, or inflate his ego bigger than what it already was. "I came to say thank you for before. You didn't have to try and protect me, but thankyou anyway." I smiled at him, and he suddenly stood up quickly to face me.

"Amelia, can I pinky swear something to you?" His tone became deadly serious, and he looked at me with an expression I had seen before. It was that really intense look from Ori's drawing that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it made me breathless and I could only nod in response to his question. He lowered his voice, so that only I could hear him, but his gaze never left mine.

"I pinky swear to look after you Amelia. As Gandalf does, I believe that you are here for a reason; therefore I also believe that you need to be protected to discover this purpose." He was completely serious the whole time, until he continued. "And, I also find you curious, and I don't want any harm to come to you." A blush dusted his cheeks and he looked away nervously. I don't think I had ever seen him so unsure of himself, and my chest was pounding a hundred miles an hour at the admission.

I put out my pinky finger, and he looked up at me with a small grin and took mine with his own, shaking it with emphasis like I had done the first time.

The moment was broken by a loud howl that echoed through the trees around us. We both froze, and I could hear Bilbo freak out.

"Was that a wolf? Are there- are there wolves out there?" He squeaked, looking to the Dwarves for reassurance. But none came, and it was Bofur that replied.

"Wolves? No, that is no wolf." I came to my senses and moved close to Josh, again staying in the centre of the company. My timing was impeccable, as a growl came from above where I was standing not a few seconds ago. Everyone turned quickly with their weapons drawn, as a large creature jumped down from the rocks, knocking down Gloin in the process. Thorin was the fastest to act, and struck the large beast on the head with his sword several times, until it stopped moving.

The creature looked like a massive wolf, and I wasn't exaggerating; it was _huge_. I looked at it in shock, snapping my head upwards when Josh yelled, as a second wolf-thing stalked us from another ledge. It jumped, and Kili hit it mid-air with an arrow that he had drawn. The injured beast fell to the ground, and it was Dwalin who begun to strike it until it became completely still.

"Warg-scouts!" Thorin called, "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind!"

"Orc pack?" Bilbo exclaimed, looking like he was about to pass out.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf questioned Thorin.

"No one," the king replied, sounding almost confused.

"Who did you tell!" Gandalf commanded him to answer.

"No one, I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin asked anxiously, not understanding what was going on.

"You are being hunted," Gandalf replied, sounding as anxious as Thorin.

"We have to get out of here!" Dwalin yelled out to us. Ori and Bifur had returned at that point, gasping for air as if they had run here.

"We can't! We have no ponies, they bolted!" Ori called out to us in fear.

I was standing close to Josh, rigid with fear. This was exactly what I was terrified of, and there was every chance that either or both of us wouldn't make it out of this. I inwardly reprimanded myself for being so fucking stupid; I shouldn't have said yes to coming on this and I should have taken him back to the shire when I had the chance.

I was snapped out of my inner struggle with my choices when Radagast bravely spoke up.

"I'll draw them off" He looked at Gandalf without fear, and in that moment I was so grateful for the strange man.

"These are Gundabad Wargs, they will outrun you," Gandalf stated with a sense of finality. Radagast, on the other hand, wasn't having any of that.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits. I'd like to see them try," Radagast said proudly before running over to his rabbits, hoping on the sled, and with a final glimpse backwards, he raced off.

There was only a moments silence before Gandalf spoke to the company in a voice that conveyed both fear and courage, and it was all we could do to follow his command.

"Run."

* * *

><p><em><strong>*Khagam menu penu shirumund* - <strong>_**Your father is beardless in Khazdul.**


	7. Elves, Food Fights and Hobbit Feet

I felt like I had been running for hours. My breathing was beginning to come in short and sharp, and I was finding it harder and harder to keep putting one foot in front of another. We had made it out of the forest and were now running in a single line across a plateau strewn with various boulders and rock formations. As soon as Gandalf told us to run, we did, and we hadn't stopped since.

The only things that kept me going were the howls of the wargs not a hundred metres away, and the fact that I was trying to keep Josh at the same pace as the company. He could run short distances fine due to his unnaturally tall legs, but when it came to long distance, his fitness level was next to zero. He looked as red as a beetroot and was sucking in laboured breaths as we ran.

We were all struggling though, especially Bombur and some of the older dwarves like Oin and Dori, who seemed as though they were mere minutes away from giving up. I really didn't know how we were going to get out of this. Radagast could only hold them off for so long until they found us again, and for the millionth time in the past day I cursed myself for getting Josh into this mess.

We continued to run until Gandalf stopped us behind one of the rock formations. I barely had enough time to catch my breath before we were off again, running even faster than before. Josh was running in front of me and I continued to huff out encouraging words to keep him going, but I was starting to give up myself. I physically couldn't do it anymore, and I was starting to lag behind when we crashed to a stop behind another rock formation. We stopped so suddenly that I had whacked into the back of my brother.

I couldn't even catch my breath enough to form out an apology; doubled over, I dug my palms into my legs and scrunched my eyes closed while I tried to inhale as much air as I could. All of a sudden, Fili (who had been running behind me the entire time) grabbed my arm and dragged me closer to the rock we were hiding behind. I was about to question his move, when I heard a low growl from above us. I froze, looking Fili in the eye. He mouthed the word "quiet", and I nodded to assure him that I wasn't going to make a dumbass move and get us all found.

I was so terrified though, and I think Fili picked up on it because he gently grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. I swear that if I didn't die from all of the running, or from the Warg that was stalking us from above, I would die from the contact of my hand in his. I turned to face the front of the group, and he didn't let go of me. Thorin glanced at the rock above us, then turned to Kili and nodded slowly. Kili nodded back, and he began to pull an arrow from the bag on his back. With his mouth set in a grim line, he shafted the arrow into the bow, and jumped out from behind the rock.

Kili loosed the arrow and it shot through the air; I couldn't see it hit the Warg, but by the howls and screams of pain he obviously hit the mark. It fell down from atop the rocks, and there was a creature that tumbled to the ground next to it. Dwalin, Gloin and Thorin quickly moved to finish the Warg, but the other creature unsheathed its weapon and began to fight. Without breaking a sweat, Dwalin blocked two blows before swinging his Warhammer around and smashing it in the side of the head with an audible_ 'crunch.'_

"_Orcs_!" Thorin spat out through a clenched jaw.

I stood, staring at the thing on the ground before Gandalf was yelling at us to run again and I was dragged by Fili. For the second time today, I felt like I needed to throw up; I felt physically sick from watching the Orc thing die so horrifically in front of me. My internal clamber of horrified thoughts were interrupted by the piercing howls of Wargs from all around us.

We kept running, faster still than we had before, but it was too late. In front of us we saw half a dozen Wargs scrambling towards us, and from behind I could hear howls and shrieks.

The was no way out of this one.

"We're surrounded!" Fili yelled from beside me, and I looked wide eyed around at the company. We had spread out in a loose circle as defence, and Bilbo, Ori, Josh and Kili looked as terrified as I felt. At least Kili and Ori were doing something despite being scared shitless; Kili was shooting arrows into the closest Wargs and Orcs, killing them instantly, and Ori was shooting Orcs with rocks from his slingshot, though it seemed to be pissing off the predators more than deterring them.

Josh was closest to Thorin and Dwalin as the Wargs continued to stalk us, seemingly making it a game to watch us try and defend ourselves. I could hear it from the Orcs who were snickering atop the beasts. It was then that I noticed Gandalf wasn't there, and I wasn't the only one that realised.

"Where is Gandalf?!" Bilbo yelled, and I could just about see him shaking where he stood.

"He has abandoned us!" Dwalin yelled, as the rest of the company moved closer together from the oncoming Wargs.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin roared in his powerful, kingly voice.

My terror subsided slightly when I began to feel angry at being so extremely useless; I didn't even have so much as a butter knife to help defend myself from the creatures that were about to rip me, my brother and my new friends limb from limb. Fucking _fantastic_.

It was at that moment when new hope shone through.

"This way, you fools!" yelled Gandalf from behind us, and I turned to look to see that he was standing, half hidden, from behind a small rock jutting out from the ground.

"Come, move! Quickly, all of you! Go, go!" Thorin cried out, and everyone ran towards where Gandalf had just disappeared from. I began to run with them and saw Josh and Bilbo jump behind the rock and disappear as well, but I glanced behind me for some unknown, godforsaken reason. What I saw made my stomach curl. Kili was still standing in the midst of the enemy, loosing arrows into them. He hadn't moved, and I could see the Wargs starting to run towards us in seeing that we had found an escape.

It was a split second decision I made that I I didn't have the time to overthink. I ran as fast as I could towards Kili, ignoring the yells that I could hear behind me calling to both Kili and I. Reaching him, I grabbed the hand that was about to seize another arrow.

"Kili, hurry the fuck up!" I dragged him as we started to race towards the rocks. I could hear the shrieks of anger from behind me, though this time I didn't look back. We sprinted with all the energy we could muster, and as we reached the rocks, Thorin jumped down into a little cavern.

I moved behind Kili and shoved him hard by his back so that he fell into the cavern. In the process, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder. Wobbling on my feet by the sudden jolt in my body, I tumbled downwards, sliding on my ass and landing on my stomach when I reached the bottom. I tried to use my hands to lift myself upwards, but my shoulder felt like someone had set it on fire. I cried out in pain and fell oh-so gracefully, flat on my face.

"Amelia! No!" I heard Josh yell, and there were hands everywhere trying to pick me up. They managed to draw me back into the group and sit me on my ass. I was panting in laboured breaths from each movement, and the pain that came from my shoulder was excruciating. My vision was becoming blurry and spotted, and I forced myself to speak.

"W-why does it feel like someone is-argh-amputating m-my arm," I managed to stutter out. It was Thorin who answered.

"Miss Amelia, do not move. Oin, remove the dagger."

"Are you t-telling me.. There is a.. Fucking dagger, i-in my back?" I breathed out, staring up at the Dwarf. He nodded, before a sound of horns was heard in the distance, and he moved back to the entrance with his sword drawn. Oin quickly moved over towards me, and investigated the source of my pain.

"Amelia, we must remove the dagger this instant. It is an Orcish weapon, and most likely dipped in poison. Are you ready?"

"Fuck _no_!" I cried out, angry at the question and petrified by the fact that I was probably poisoned. Josh moved to my side, taking my hand as he did so. Fili knelt down in front of me as well; Josh had a terrified look in his eyes but Fili looked like he was carved from stone. His jaw was clenched tight and his hands were balled into fists. I closed my eyes as Oin grabbed the weapon, and he pulled it out as fast as he could.

I screamed so loud I felt like my lungs would explode. Oin and Bilbo worked to bandage my arm as well as they could, but I could barely grasp onto what was happening around me. There was a thud next to me and some commotion, yelling and suddenly we had to move. Josh and Fili moved me onto my feet, and I trudged along as well as I could, but I needed one of them supporting me as we went.

We kept walking, and any adrenalin that was in my system wore off quickly. I could tell by the pain that started to spread from my shoulder, across my back and down my arm. Or it might have been the poison doing that. I couldn't really tell, but I was getting to the point where my arms were beginning to feel redundant. I could barely feel them and I wasn't able to move them, even if someone were to offer a large plate of hot chips.

"Josh, do you miss hot chips and gravy?" I half-laughed out, regretting it instantly as pain coursed throughout my body. I was feeling almost giddy, and Josh shot me a grim look.

"What in Durin's name are you talking about Miss Amelia?" Fili asked, looking at me with an expression mixed between bewilderment and concern.

"It's food from our, um, hometown." Josh replied to Fili's question.

"It's okay Josh, he knows where we are from," I whispered into my brother's ear. He frowned at me and opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it instead. I decided not to talk from then on because I was feeling pretty loopy and I didn't trust anything that was to come out of my mouth. That and the pain was getting more intense by the minute.

My vision was starting to blur again around the edges and I forcefully tried to blink it away, to no avail. We kept walking at a decent pace despite running for god knows how long. It got to the point where I was barely walking though. My feet dragged along the stone ground in crappy attempts at taking steps. Josh and Fili had their arms around my body, both of them having to support me by now. I could swear I _wasn't _that heavy, though.

The pain was radiating through my entire body. It felt like a fire was dancing throughout my insides; it coursed down my limbs, into my fingers tips and set the nerves there alight. I whimpered in the excruciating pain, and Oin looked back at me with a worried look on his face.

"Thorin, we must move faster. Miss Amelia is getting worse by the moment," I vaguely heard him say to Thorin, who was walking in front. We began walking faster, but Oin continued to look back at me with an ever growing frown of concern etched upon his face.

After walking for what felt like an eternity, we started to see some light in front of us and I felt a cool breeze against my face.

"Ah," I sighed, relishing the light wind against my cheeks and neck that had begun to drip with sweat. It was a welcome respite against the agony I was in, though the pain was still drilling into every fibre of my body. I had to clench my jaw tight to stop myself from crying in pain; I didn't want them to realise the extent of how it felt, especially Josh. We kept walking, starting downwards now, and I stole a glance at our surroundings instead of looking at my feet.

The breath caught in my throat when my eyes found the scene below us. There were waterfalls flowing from beautiful mountains and cliff faces; birds singing as they flew through the air around us; and nestled within the bottom of the cliffs were beautifully carved and intricate buildings.

I wanted to look more at the beauty that we were now walking into, but I didn't have the energy anymore. I could feel the strength leaving my body and I felt really sleepy. It was like I had been given a sedative, and I didn't have the power to question it. We came into a beautiful looking courtyard and finally stopped. I tried with all my willpower to move my arm from around Josh's shoulder, and dropped out of their grip onto the ground.

The pain roared through my shoulder but I couldn't do anything. All I wanted to do was sleep…

"I'm j-just.. Um, I'm gonna have a quick n-nap..." I mumbled as I begun to lie onto my uninjured side. I could hear my name being called out, but it sounded distant and fading, like background noise. I couldn't remember why my name was being called, but it made me feel warm and I drifted away, towards a peaceful light that glowed on the outskirts of my mind.

* * *

><p>I didn't know how long I had slept for, but I woke up feeling stiff, though quite warm.<p>

_Shit, I've slept in past my alarm, _I thought, flexing the tips of my toes. I didn't want to get out of bed just yet, especially because I would have to go to university. _I'm so sick of boring classes. _I frowned, eyes still closed. I think I could miss out on a lecture or two.

I tried to get comfortable enough to go back to sleep, but there was a weird feeling in the back of my mind, like I was forgetting something. I attempted to ignore the sensation for a long time before I gave in, and wracked my brain for whatever was bugging me.

After ages of contemplation, I felt like I had a weird dream where I couldn't quite put my finger on what had happened. I let out a long sigh of frustration, but I decided to get up and make myself a cup of tea. That should get my good-for-nothing brain to start working again.

I rolled onto my side, and let out a moan of pain when I realised there was a dull ache in my shoulder. It started to throb through my upper back, and I finally opened my eyes.

I was in a room that wasn't my room. I shot up (much to the distress of my body) and glanced around in shock. The walls and floor were carved from some type of light, grey stone. There was a wooden door to the left of the bed, and a table with flowers atop in the other corner. I was sitting upright in a large bed that had perfect white, silky sheets.

Looking down at my body, I saw that I wasn't wearing my clothes. I was wearing a long dress, and I started to frown more at the piece of clothing than at my situation. Glancing around again, I saw a window next to me and quickly jumped up to see if I could figure out what the fuck was going on.

Gazing out, I felt like I was hit with a tonne of bricks that just happened to be my memories. Everything came flooding back into my mind, like a dam had finally spilt over the banks. I remembered being in Middle Earth, and meeting Gandalf and Dwarves and Hobbits, and running into Trolls and Orcs and Wargs and- oh! Josh!

I frantically tried to remember the last thing before I seemingly fell asleep. Closing my eyes and running my hand through my hair, I remembered that we had come into this strange beautiful place, and Josh was fine the last time I saw him. Everyone was fine. I sighed in relief, but I quickly tensed up again in realising I had no idea what this place was, how long I had been asleep, and whether they were still alright.

I began to rush over to the door, but it opened just as I had my hand reached out towards the handle. I jumped backwards and moved straight into a stance my martial arts instructor taught me; my knees were bent with one foot forward, and my hands were balled into fists close to my face.

The door moved open slowly, and a tall woman stepped inside. She looked at me with an eyebrow raised, and proceeded to put her hands up in defeat.

"I do not wish to harm you." Her voice was silky smooth, and as light as a petal. I lowered my arms slightly, but didn't move from my stance, even despite my aching shoulder.

"Please, Miss Amelia. My name is Arwen. My father sent me to check on your health; you have been asleep for a full rise of the moon and almost a full rise of the sun."

I squinted at her, trying to work that out. I guessed that it was about a day, but I felt uneasy. Where was my brother? Where were the rest of the company? As if feeling my anxiety, she spoke again.

"I can take you to see your brother and _friends_- she punctuated the word with the slightest sourness- soon. In the meantime, may I show you to the bathing house? Your clothes are not yet ready, but we have dresses that you are most welcome to wear."

A small smile graced her lips when I frowned at the mention of wearing dresses, but she didn't say anything. I didn't really dress up, not especially around people I didn't know. I liked to straighten my hair when I went out, but the closest I would come to looking like a girl was wearing bright coloured leggings. I had only worn dresses a few times, and I would much rather wear the shirt and slacks that I was clothed in before.

She gestured for me to follow her, and I did so reluctantly. As she turned around, I noticed her ears. They were pointed at the top, and then it clicked. _Elves! _Of course. The way the Dwarves described them was that they were horrible creatures, but this one was really elegant and beautiful. She looked quite young though; she had sharp facial features that models would _kill _for and black hair that flowed down to the middle of her back.

She had intricate braids patterned in her hair, and I wondered why everyone in Middle Earth seemed to have them. All of the dwarves (except Kili) sported braids in their hair, though they were much more bulky than the ones Arwen had in hers.

We walked along stone stairs, moving downwards and downwards. There wasn't much to look at, especially when we continued further. I started to feel a damp heat, at first touching lightly against my skin, but becoming more suffocating until we reached a large cave type area.

It was filled with light; there were candles everywhere, placed around a large hot spring in the centre that steamed and bubbled with heat. The heat was welcoming and I began to relax; it felt beautiful after so many bloody freezing nights that we had throughout our travels.

I realised that I hadn't spoken a word to Arwen the entire time, and I started to feel a little rude and extremely awkward.

"Um, thanks for bringing me down here and for the clean clothes." She smiled slightly and nodded her head before replying.

"There is a new dress and a towel at the edge of the bathing spring when you're ready. I will be waiting to change your bandages and escort you to supper with my father and your travel companions." She smiled again and quickly graced towards the stairs.

I frowned at her disappearing figure, wondering who her father was and why this _supper _sounded so intimidating. Turning back around, I made sure that no one was lingering in the vicinity before I started to undress. I took the bandages off my aching shoulder, and even though it was a bit difficult to do so, I felt fine. No giddiness, no agonising-_kill-me-now_ pain, no blurred vision.

Submerging quickly into the steamy water, I really tried to remember something, anything, from after we got into this place. All I could remember was feeling really peaceful, and seeing (or feeling, it was like all my senses were blurred together) a soft glowing light.

I didn't really know what that meant, and I didn't know much about the Elves, or even Dwarves or Middle Earth for that matter, but I imagined that they had some way to heal me. There wasn't much of an alternative explanation as to why I generally much better than I had been when I was last conscious. I mean, I was now in a world where _trolls_ existed and _turned to stone_ in the sunlight; I don't think having a super powerful medicine exist was a far stretch in the light of what I had already seen.

I sunk into the spring, revelling in the sensation of the hot water on my filthy skin. I hadn't had a hot bath since Bilbo's house, almost a lifetime ago. We had stopped at streams along the journey so we could wash up, but it was harder for me being the only female amongst a group of males (despite whatever race they were).

I scrubbed my skin, being careful not to move my arm too excessively. I felt like I could honestly lie in the beautiful water forever, but after about half an hour, I had a niggling feeling in the back of my mind. I started feeling anxious, and I put it down to not being in a position where I could look after Josh.

I had spent every single moment of the last three weeks or so looking out for him, and the distance was making me worried. I was starting to feel like a bloody mother. Actually, I almost was. I had looked after Josh and taken responsibility from such a young age when our mother died.

I only just realised that I accepted that role a _long_ time ago.

Sighing at my uneasiness, I grabbed the towel from the side of the spring and stood up, wrapping it around me. Quickly drying my body and hair, I put on the dress (to my dismay) that Arwen had laid out for me. The colour reminded me of the sky on a sunny day spotted with clouds; the dress was a light blue and creamy white colour, and the sleeves ended at my wrists, though the ends pooled at my feet. I damned my short stature and examined the rest of the dress on my body.

Despite it being long, it fit nicely across my torso. The part I was most put out with was the upper region of the dress. The back rested just under my shoulder blades, revealing the upper part of my back and was high across my chest, only just showing my collar bones. It wasn't a lot of skin, though just enough to make me feel uncomfortable. Looking at the silver lining, I thanked whatever god existed in Middle Earth that whoever changed me had left me in my matching black underwear and bra.

I was giving the dress one of the best glares I had, when Arwen spoke from behind me, making me jump half a metre into the air.

"You look lovely, Miss Amelia. Let me help you with redressing your wound." I thought to myself it would have been easier to do this before I had gotten dressed, but I would have felt way too exposed had I been naked in front of her. However, she was probably the one who healed my wound and changed my clothes in the first place. _Ugh, embarrassing._

She worked with agile and quick hands to bandage my shoulder and said it was healing nicely.

"And how exactly is it healing so quickly?" I turned to face her once she had finished, and she lifted her lips in the faintest hint of a smile.

"Elvish magic is very powerful. Most have heard of its powers, but you have not. Where are you from, Miss Amelia?" She hadn't given away much through her expressions in the short amount of time that I had been in her presence, but now she became slightly curious. There was a glint of excitement in her eyes and her lips were turned upwards into an inquisitive smile.

I still didn't know who she was, where I was or where my friends were, so I wasn't about to give anything away.

"Far away from here. Can I see my brother now?" I tried not to come across as rude, and I succeeded while still being able to tell her between the lines that I didn't want to talk about my home. She nodded without a verbal response, and let me back through the stone staircase that wound upwards.

It was then that I realised how hungry I was. My stomach rumbled and roared, and I hoped that Arwen couldn't hear, though she probably did with her Elf ears. Our path levelled out, and we began walking through a stone corridor towards a large wooden door.

The closer we approached, the louder the yells were on the other side of the door. I grinned at the all too familiar sounds of who I knew were the company, but I started to feel nervous. The last time I saw them I probably looked like crap and I had slowed them down. Would Thorin and the rest of them think that I was still a burden? We stopped at the entrance, and Arwen looked down at me with a reassuring smile. I swore she could read my mind, and she opened her mouth to speak.

"Don't be anxious, Amelia. Despite your questionable choice of company, they care about you. They came to your room many, many times to try and see you while you slept. We refused, of course, but they felt as though we were keeping you from them." With the slightest smirk, she opened the door and floated back the way we had come.

That left me standing in the doorway, by myself, in front of a courtyard full of Dwarves and Elves and Gandalf, Bilbo and Josh. I didn't know what to do, except send an awkward little wave in the direction of now silent, gobsmacked company. As always, Bofur was the one to speak up first.

"Amelia! Lass, you are alright! Ha ha!" he exclaimed, and jumped from his seat to saunter towards where I was still standing uncomfortably. I let out a little squeak of pain as Bofur clapped me on my uninjured shoulder, but I relaxed immensely; at least he didn't think I was a burden after I got myself stabbed and had to get them to carry me hours to where the Elves lived.

I was seriously beginning to form a habit of getting myself hurt, though at least I was consistent in something.

He let me go as most of the rest of the company came over to us. Josh quickly pulled me into a tight hug, and I hugged him back as hard as I could.

"Please don't do that ever again, Amelia," he said to me. When he pulled away, I could see the hurt etched on his face. I nodded fervently and I felt terrible for putting him through the whole ordeal.

"I'm glad you are healed, Amelia," a small voice said from beside me. It was Ori, and despite his objections I pulled the young Dwarf into a hug. Most of the others voiced their relief at me being alright, some a little stoically, but there nonetheless. All but Thorin and Dwalin, which wasn't particularly surprising, but it still hurt a little.

Once the company began to move back to their seats and continue eating, Fili came up to me and hugged me. I was almost too surprised to reciprocate the hug, though after a slight hesitation I did. He felt so warm in comparison to the cool evening breeze, especially since I was in this dumb dress that wasn't meant to protect from the cold. He whispered into my ear while he held me.

"I'm so sorry I didn't protect you. I swore to you that I would and I broke that promise. But thank you for protecting my brother." He let go of me then and looked at me sadly, but I didn't blame him for what had happened.

"Fili, it was my choice to do what I did. Unfortunately you can't protect me from myself, so I don't blame you or anything like that." I smiled at him and we moved to the table where the company was sitting. He seemed to relax, but the way his shoulders were slouched slightly made me feel like he still felt guilty.

I was about to sit down in between Balin and Fili, when Thorin stood suddenly from another table, where Gandalf and another Elf sat with him. The two looked at him with unreadable expressions as he stormed away. I think if I had sat down quicker, I would have been out of the firing line of Thorin's already bad mood, but it was too late. He spotted me and came my way; I cringed back at the way he held himself and how intimidating he was.

"What kind of idiotic stunt did you think you could pull yesterday? You are not trained in battle, and you couldn't defend yourself against a simple dagger. If you cannot fight, you should not be on this quest." He shot a glare in the direction of Bilbo and Josh as well, who shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

I wanted to yell something back at him, to tell him how much of a twat he was for thinking that I was useless, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. He had played on my insecurities and ultimately he was right. I couldn't fight and I had almost gotten killed.

Why was I still here?

The least I could do was hold his stare until he relented and stormed out of the courtyard. When he did, I finally plonked down into my seat and tried to take in deep breaths. I honestly felt like I wanted to cry right there and then, but I wasn't going to prove his point any more than he already had.

The company was silent during Thorin's outburst, but had begun talking again, though quietly, as soon as he left. I was looking at the food in front of me, not really feeling hungry anymore, when Balin touched my arm.

"Miss Amelia, do not mind Thorin. Being in the company of Elves is making him tense. Without your quick thinking yesterday, Kili would have been injured, if not fatally." I picked at a lettuce leaf I had put onto my plate, pulling it apart beneath my fingers.

"You're just saying that," I said, feeling deflated.

"No, lassie. We all saw it, even Thorin. When you pushed Kili down into the cavern yesterday, you placed yourself in the way of the dagger that was aimed for his back. You saved Kili, and I feel as though Thorin is too stubborn to admit it. He is the boy's uncle of course, and he feels as though it is his responsibility to protect him."

That I understood. I felt empathetic for Thorin then, because he had to take back his homeland and in the process still manage to look after his two nephews. I realised that the guilt I had seen in Fili was probably because he was supposed to look after his brother as well, but it wasn't him that had been able to yesterday.

I nodded in response to Balin, and looked to the Dwarf sitting on the other side of me. He was busy picking at his food as well.

"Fili," I whispered, and he looked up to me. "Kili is safe, yeah? That's all that matters." He smiled genuinely at me in understanding, and nodded his head. I felt a little better then, but the company was still only talking silently amongst themselves and the music that was being played by the Elves was really, truly miserable. I wasn't the only one who thought so, too.

"Hey, change the tune! It feels like I'm at a funeral!" Nori exclaimed, to which the hearing impaired Oin replied.

"Did somebody die?"

"There's only one thing for it lads!" Bofur piped up, before proceeding to jump out of his seat and atop a wooden stool at the end of the table. I gazed curiously at him, and the room filled with anticipation.

"There's an inn," he drawled in a low toned voice. And then he began to sing in a fast paced rhythm, to which each of the Dwarves quickly joined in.

_There's an inn, there's a merry old inn  
>beneath and old grey hill<br>And there they brew a beer so brown  
>that the man on the moon himself<br>came down one night  
>to drink his fill.<em>

_The ostler has a tipsy cat,  
>that plays a five-stringed fiddle;<br>and up and down he saws his bow  
>Now squeaking high,<br>now purring low,  
>now sawing in the middle.<em>

_So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,  
>a jig that would wake the dead.<br>He squeaked and sawed and  
>quickened the tune,<br>While the landlord shook the Man on the Moon:  
>'It's after three he said!'<em>

Food was thrown everywhere, even at the Elves that were standing around the courtyard. I had copped some salad to my face (and something creamy to my dress, to which I thought made an improvement), but I was much better off than most of the others sitting around the table. Josh had smeared something in Kili's hair and had received it back twice as bad. Bilbo had food covering his cheek and what looked like some form of alcohol dripping off his blonde curls. He looked absolutely unimpressed, and was glaring at the Dwarves as though it would make them somehow disappear.

He glanced over at me with his frown still intact, and I poked my tongue out at him and chuckled at his response. His expression was a mix between shock, bewilderment and '_do-I-fucking-know-you?_'

I attempted to eat what food hadn't been used in the fight, though I didn't manage to get enough to fill my stomach. I was feeling a lot happier than I did before though; I felt like I held a place in the company in some of the Dwarves eyes. Even though Thorin still didn't like me, and Dwalin wasn't particularly fond of me, I knew that as long as at least Gandalf was with us, that I wouldn't be kicked to the gutter.

I didn't realise how much I had depended on the company, the first people that we found when we landed in Middle Earth. Josh and I fit in with most of them, and they had really begun to feel like friends to us. I knew that despite the feeling of constant frustration I had at myself for allowing Josh to go on this journey, I couldn't back out now. We had said that we would help the Dwarves; it wasn't just that we wanted to figure out our reason for being here, but we felt like we now owed it to them to help.

After dinner, I found out that my clothes had been repaired and washed, much to my relief. After changing out of my food-stained dress, I went back to the courtyard where the Dwarves, Bilbo and Josh had been sleeping. Bombur and Nori had started a small fire in the middle of the space, though I doubted that the Elves would approve of it.

Despite Arwen insisting that I sleep in the room that had been lent to me, I wanted to be close to the company. It had felt amazing to sleep in a bed after weeks of sleeping on the ground, but the constant presence of the company had become comforting over the time Josh and I had been with them.

The courtyard that they had overrun was beautiful in its simplicity. The same stone that was used for the corridor floors was used out here. There were several pillars of the same stone, covered in flourishing green vines that wrapped themselves around and around. There was some type of material used above us in narrow, straight lines, that the vines had also taken hold of and formed a loose ceiling. We could still see the stars though, and I lay in my sleeping bag looking at the yellow and white lights that filled the sky. My peaceful trance was interrupted by a snickering that came from a metre or so away from me.

Glancing in the direction of the noise, I saw Kili and Fili lying on their stomachs side by side, with their elbows propping them up. Kili was holding a feather to a pair of feet that protruded from the nearest sleeping bag. Through squinting my eyes, I could vaguely see by the limited firelight that they were two hairy Hobbit feet.

Whenever Bilbo's feet moved, the brothers would drop their heads down and pretend to be sleeping, only to snort in laughter and try again. Half of me found it amusing, but the other half felt sorry for poor Bilbo, who probably wouldn't appreciate being woken up by having his feet tickled.

Sure enough, there was a loud _'thwack'_; the sound of contact between a Hobbit foot and a Dwarf head. Kili gave away all attempts at being quiet and roared in laughter at Fili, who had been on the receiving end of the kick.

"By Durin's beard, Mr Baggins, your feet are as hard as rock!" Fili grunted while rubbing the top of his head. Bilbo had sat up at that point, glaring at the two Dwarves.

Seriously, if looks could kill.

"Will you stop that! It has been a long day and I need some rest," the little Hobbit huffed at Fili and Kili, who were looking innocently back at him.

"Why are your feet so hard though, Bilbo?" Fili exclaimed. "Is that why you are able to walk without the use of shoes?" Bilbo crossed his arms in frustration.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about my feet," he deadpanned. It was in vain though; Fili and Kili's curiosity had been piqued and they weren't going to give up so easily.

"Why are they so hairy though? I have never seen so much hair on one being's feet in my life, it is so strange!" Kili inquired, trying to touch Bilbo's foot again but the hobbit quickly tucked it under himself. However, the statement offended Bilbo and he frowned at the young Durin.

"My feet are perfectly normal, thank you! I am a hobbit, and hobbits have hair on their feet for warmth against the elements. What is truly strange is having no hair at all on your feet!" Bilbo looked at the two in exaggerated disgust, luring them in. Of course, they took the bait.

"Hey, our feet have hair on them also! Dwarves are a very hairy race." The brothers seemed to take offence to being called hairless, and they began to argue over who had the hairiest feet. I snickered at their bickering, and wondered about my world. I think that people there would argue about who had the least amount of bodily hair. While it was a slightly absurd comparison, it showed such a stark contrast between my home and Middle Earth; they really were worlds apart.

Turning away from the three, I looked back to the night sky. With the sound of their dispute in the background, I began to doze off into a sleep full of dreams of Dwarves, Elves and Hobbit feet.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! I hope you are all having a wonderful time doing whatever it is you do :) This chapter was up much later than I anticipated as I moved to the city and started university again :) Enjoy the chapter and please reviewfollow if you have the chance! :))**


	8. An Unorthodox Training Method

**Thank you to Darth-Nyx for your review, and to my new followers! You guys are the greatest :) I'm having a lot of fun writing this story, and I hope you're enjoying reading it. This chapter is a little bit darker, but I feel like this was the way the story needed to go (at least for the moment!) Thanks for reading and enjoy the chapter :)**

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><p>The following morning I was awoken by the sound of birds calling close by. The sun was only just peeping over the horizon, and I got out of my sleeping bag to walk over to the edge of the courtyard. We were in one of the higher points of this place, or so it seemed. I could see many intricate buildings below us, and the valley rolled towards a body of water that shone in the morning light.<p>

I glanced over at the sleeping bodies of the company. Only one seemed to be stirring, and I knew who it was instantly by the tuft of blonde curls. Bilbo slowly sat up and stretched, noticing me in the process. He smiled sleepily and came over to where I stood at the ledge overlooking the world below.

"Good morning, Miss Amelia," he said cheerily. I guessed he managed to get enough sleep during the night despite the brothers annoying the crap out of him. I frowned at his use of 'Miss", (God knows I've told them so many times to just call me Amelia), but I didn't say anything. The company still used the term most of the time, but only Ori stopped using the title completely. It was beginning to be more than a title though; it made me feel like I belonged in a way. When Thorin said it though, it sounded like he was saying it more out of forced courtesy and less out of actual respect.

I had been immersed in my thoughts, while Bilbo had been asking how I was feeling. Finally registering what he had said the second time he asked, I replied.

"I'm feeling way better. My shoulder aches a little bit when I move it, but it's already mostly healed. I don't know how, I mean Arwen said it was magic, but it's weird. Nothing like that exists in my world." I looked towards the landscape that spread out in front of us, wondering about our world. I was starting to miss the simplicity of it. It was easy, and I knew what to expect most of the time. This place was a whole other ball game.

"When we came into Rivendell, I felt a strong power. To me, it felt calming, relaxing, but intense. The Dwarves felt it, but it made them extremely nervous and uncomfortable. Gandalf said that it was Elvish magic. Can you feel it too?"

Thinking back on our entrance to this place- _Rivendell_, Bilbo called it- was a bit of a blur. But I remembered feeling really sleepy and calm, just before I passed out and missed a whole day.

"Just before I collapsed, I felt really sleepy and relaxed, that's why I wanted to lay down." Bilbo nodded in understanding, and replied after a few moments.

"It sounds as though you felt the Elvish magic when you were injured; it may have even made you drowsy enough to allow you respite against your injury through sleep. The Elves really are incredible." He whispered the last sentence and looked over his shoulder as if to make sure no one had heard him. I understood completely. The Dwarves despised the Elves last time I checked.

"I really am glad you are well though Miss Amelia. I-we were so worried, we thought that we may have lost you…" Bilbo trailed off, looking down at his hairy feet. With a lack of hesitation, something that was becoming less of a rare occurrence, I gently took his hand and gave it a small squeeze. He looked up at me with blushing cheeks and a small smile. Letting his hand go, I replied.

"Thanks Bilbo, it means a lot. Though I don't think all of you were worried. I could name at the very least two Dwarves that would be quite happy to see me out of the picture." I laughed bitterly, glancing in the direction of the sleeping Dwarves in question. Bilbo sighed sadly.

"I understand how you feel. I.. I don't feel like I am accepted among the company. Yes, there is Josh and yourself, and Ori and Bofur are quite friendly, but.. I just feel as though I am useless, like I can't help them with anything. Most nights I wonder why I left Bag End. This journey has been horrible so far, we have faced death twice already! Rivendell is spectacular though. I feel.. Oddly comfortable here, and I really hope that we can stay a while."

I really, truly felt what Bilbo was feeling. We had both been thrown into the deep end with unexpected turns of fate, and it was hard being out of your comfort zone. There were some nights where all I wanted to do was go home, but each time I reasoned with myself that it wasn't worth it. Not if going back meant that Josh had to continue to live with our twat of a father. I would sacrifice the comfort of that world to keep him safe.

"Try not to worry about Thorin and the others, Bilbo. I want you here, and so does Josh. Gandalf wouldn't have chosen you if he didn't think you were worth it." He smiled at my words, but it didn't reach his eyes. He still looked worried and a little sad, and my heart went out to him. He had a heart of gold and came along on this quest to reclaim someone else's home, yet Thorin still didn't appreciate him.

I placed a hand on his arm in attempt to reassure him, and we continued to look out over the water that spread further than our eyes could see. The sun was climbing steadily in the sky, and I could hear the Dwarves behind us beginning to wake.

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><p>The Elves had brought us breakfast, though the Dwarves weren't very impressed. It was mostly fruit, breads and some fried eggs; the company made it quite clear that they wanted meat for their next meal. The two Elvish men looked down at the company with a hint of disgust, but made the slightest of nods and left without a word.<p>

Thorin was still in a shitty mood, which was no surprise. He glared at anyone that so much as spoke or moved in his direction, and I made sure to stay well away. I didn't need him to tell me again how useless I was on this quest; I knew it all by myself. It didn't mean that I was going to relent under his bullying though. Despite my feelings of inadequacy, I still wanted to try to prove that I could be of help.

It seemed as though I was going to get my chance that morning. The company decided that they were going to make use of the training field in Rivendell to practice and sharpen their weapons. They collected their knives, axes, swords and bows and begun to leave, and I walked over to talk to Josh.

"Hey there little brother," I said casually, punching his arm lightly. He smiled back at me, but then looked at my shoulder and frowned slightly.

"Is your shoulder okay? You shouldn't have slept on the ground last night, you idiot. You could have torn the wound open." He moved to look at my shoulder, trying to see the injury. I smiled to myself; who was being the mother hen now?

"Josh, it's already healed. Its fine," I laughed slightly. He looked back at me with wide eyes.

"How the hell is it already healed Amelia, it only happened two days ago." He moved the fabric of my shirt and bandages down slightly to look, and gasped.

"Amelia, it's… It's just a scar.. How-what?" He stammered in shock.

"The Elves used magic to heal me apparently. Don't worry, it freaked me out too." He shook his head in shock at first, but his expression quickly changed to amazement.

"That's awesome! Could you imagine how many people that could be saved in our world? People who are in critical condition from accidents, like work injuries or car cras-" He cut himself off, realising what he just said. He looked at me sadly, tears starting to well in his eyes.

"Hey, it's alright Josh." I gave him a hug, squeezing him tight. When I let him go, I looked up into his sad green eyes. "She would be so proud of you. Don't forget that, okay?" He smiled sadly at me and swiped at a tear that had escaped down his cheek.

"Come on, I know what might cheer us up." I didn't add that it was more likely that we would be humiliated than have fun with what we are going to do. Following the path the Dwarves had gone down, we twisted through paths and down corridors, through gardens and past fountains of water. The only way I managed not to get lost was from the amount of sound coming from the thirteen Dwarves; they were so bloody loud!

We finally came into a courtyard area, one that was much, much larger than where we were sleeping in and without the pillars covered in vines throughout. Instead of the floor being polished and spotless with grey stone, the ground here was just dirt. There were targets on one side of the courtyard, and some benches around the edges. There also seemed to be an assortment of weapons displayed on several racks, and tools supplied that some of the Dwarves were already using to sharpen their weapons.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Josh said, looking slightly anxious as he glanced around at the company.

"We need to be more prepared on their journey," I whispered to him. "Most of them think that we are useless, so we should practice at some self-defence and prove them wrong. I would feel much better if we knew how to use something." He glanced at me nervously, obviously put out by the idea.

"But Amelia, I can't. I have no idea about weapons in real life. Okay, yeah, I play tonnes of video games, but it's not the same."

"Josh, it's either we suck it up and learn how to defend ourselves or we stay in Rivendell and find a way back to our world," I replied, though not unkindly. I was feeling just as nervous, because this was probably going to end in me embarassing myself.

I started to walk towards Kili and Fili, who were sharpening their weapons by the targets. Kili had his bow strapped to his back while he was sharpening his arrows with a piece of stone. Fili was sharpening an identical pair of daggers that were thick and about thirty centimetres long.

They noticed us as we reached them, and Kili looked at me nervously while standing up quickly.

"Miss Amelia, I didn't thank you yesterday. You put yourself at great risk to protect me the day before last, and I thank you and your courage. I am in your debt." He bowed deeply, and I felt very awkward. I could hear the chattering from the Dwarves behind us quieten and I fidgeted with the end of my shirt.

"Stand up, you idiot. You don't owe me anything; I just did what anyone else would have done." He stood up then, all seriousness gone and half laughing at me.

"Oh, you wound me Miss Amelia!" He said, clutching his heart. Finally, the Dwarves were back to talking amongst themselves behind us, so I took the opportunity to ask for Kili's help.

"Actually, there is something you can do. Can you guys help Josh and I practice with some weapons? We want to be able to defend ourselves." Fili stood, smirking at us and then at his brother.

"Aye then, lass. Though, what weapon will you both choose? Surely it will be some form of dagger or knife." He shot a lop-sided grin to his brother, who frowned at him.

"No, I'm sure that Josh at the very least will use the bow and arrow." Kili looked at Josh, who, obviously still nervous, replied shakily.

"Um, yeah sure. I mean, I could try it I guess," he managed to get out. Kili smirked at Fili before jogging over to a weapons rack and pulling a slender bow and a few arrows off of it. Josh glanced at me apprehensively and then walked over to where Kili had begun to adjust a target.

"What is your weapon of choice, Miss Amelia?" Fili said, walking me over to another weapons rack that held swords, knives and daggers. He picked up a large sword, which was quite thick and long. He held the weapon out to me expectantly, and I just looked at him blankly.

"Ugh, Fili, I don't think that I would even to be able to lift that up, let alone defend myself with it." Feeling a little cheeky, I added "I mean, I know my muscles look super huge and all." I lifted up my arm, flexing the small amount of muscle there. He just laughed at me and retorted with "What muscle?" as I glared at the back of his head while he looked at the other weapons.

Moving to stand next to him, I scanned through the Elvish weaponry that lay before me. Fili was muttering something about terrible blacksmithing when I laid my eyes on a pair of blades.

The hilts were about twenty centimetres long, and were a brown colour tempered with intricate patterns of blue. They met the slender, silver blades that were also patterned with beautiful lines and carvings. The sleek blades on each were about forty or fifty centimetres long and slightly curved at the top.

I picked them up, feeling the weight in each of my hands. They were heavier than I expected, but not so heavy that I was unable to hold them comfortably. I gently ran a finger along the top of one of the blades and along the sharp edge, being careful not to cut myself. It felt smooth but incredibly strong. I became entranced by the dual blades, and Fili coughed slightly to get my attention. I lifted my head to look at him; he had a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Beautiful, are they not?" He said quietly, looking at me while he spoke. I blushed and looked back at the blades. "I mean… For Elvish smithing, they are not completely terrible. Come, I will show you how to wield them."

He led me back towards the targets, though out of the way of Kili and Josh who were now notching arrows in their bows. Josh looked more relaxed, and I felt like Kili must have been doing a good job at making him comfortable. I noticed that Ori was sitting over on one of the benches with a sketch book on his lap and a pencil in hand, head moving up and down furiously to look between the paper and whoever he was sketching. Bofur was also sitting down, smoking on a pipe and looking up at the mid-morning sun.

Fili stopped, faced towards me and swiftly grabbed two of his daggers from the belt strapped around his waist. I looked again at the dual blades that I held, grasping them firmly.

"You need to hold them at the end of the hilt, away from the blade. It allows you greater movement with the weapons." I did as he said, gripping the blades a little closer to the end of the brown and blue hilts.

"Now, you must fall into stance. It makes it easier to move and also to defend yourself. Place your leg in front of the other, and bend your knees." Again, I did as he suggested, though I already knew this bit. I fell into the stance I used in martial arts, though I didn't hold my hands to my face at the risk of stabbing myself.

"Good. Now, I am going to charge you and I want you to block my attack. Ready?" _Nope_, I thought, but I nodded my head anyway. Expecting him to strike quickly, I was surprised by his slow motion and blocked the dagger from above my head with my blades. He smiled, and moved back into his position.

"Good. Now again, faster."

We had been at it for almost an hour, and I was burning in the midday sun. I had started with using my good arm, but Fili wanted me to swap to my injured one to see how I went. Obviously the wound had already healed and scarred because of the Elves magic, but it absolutely ached. Most of my body did really. We had practised different blocking movements, and then each one at faster speeds, then combinations that Fili made up as he went along.

I was drenched in sweat, and needed to stop for a bit. Fili agreed, though he wasn't struggling nearly as much as I was. We rested for some food (the Elves had brought us a variety of meat, to the Dwarves delight) and water. As soon as we were finished eating we began again; Dwalin and Gloin were fighting quite intensely while Oin and Dori took their sparring a bit slower; Bifur, Balin and Thorin were sharpening their various weapons; Nori and Bombur had sat down with Ori and Bofur to watch after practising some techniques, and Josh and Kili still worked at their shooting (which Josh was becoming quite decent at).

We continued for another hour or so, when I noticed for the first time (surprisingly) that Bilbo wasn't with us. I was wondering where he had gone to, when Fili knocked one of my blades out of my right hand, where it flew to the ground. I scowled at him.

"Hey! I wasn't ready," I exclaimed, making a move to pick up the weapon, but he blocked me.

"Amelia, Orcs will not wait until you are ready to fight when they strike you. You must be prepared and you must concentrate." He aimed a blow at my head, which I only narrowly blocked. I frowned at him, beginning to become frustrated under the heat of the sun and the intensity of this training.

"Can't we just stop and rest for a little bit?" He snorted at me in response, and I took that as a no. Seeing my opportunity, I swiped for his stomach with the sword in my left hand, and as he jumped back in mild surprise, I was able to pick up my second blade.

"Well how about I teach you something that I know?" I said almost casually, hoping to pique his interest. He took the bait as I expected.

"Oh, and what is that?" I took my blades and placed them on a bench closest to me, motioning him to do the same. He looked at me inquisitively, and put his daggers next to mine.

"Okay, hold out your hand like this." I outstretched my hand in front of me, and held my open palm so that it was facing side on. He followed my actions, and I took a few steps backwards, falling back into stance with my palms balled at my cheeks.

"Miss Amelia, what are you doing?" He frowned at me, seemingly becoming uncomfortable at the fact that he didn't know what I was about to do.

"Just keep your hand outstretched, and it shouldn't hurt too much," I said, and before he could even make a noise, I moved. Spinning on my front leg, I whipped my back leg around as fast as I could. My foot connected perfectly with his open palm, sounding with a loud '_thwack_!' and the exclamation of a stunned dwarf.

He looked at me with a dumbstruck expression and cradled his palm in his other hand.

"How did you do that? I didn't realise you could move that fast!" he said, a grin creeping across his face. "You must teach me to do that!" I smiled at his enthusiasm, but I felt so physically drained. I didn't think I could continue for today.

"Tomorrow? I'm pretty exhausted already." He nodded in understanding, and we began to watch Kili and Josh instead. Josh was really getting the hang of the bow. He had loosed dozens of arrows into the target; many of them missed at first, but with each one he was getting closer to the middle mark. He was even smiling and laughing with Kili and the other Dwarves who were sitting down and watching him, cheering him on and encouraging him.

I looked to where the other Dwarves were still sparring and sharpening their weapons. Dwalin had stopped fighting with Gloin, and was quietly talking to Thorin. Thorin glanced over towards where we stood and looked back to Dwalin, nodding at whatever he was saying. I started to feel a bit sick to the stomach in nervousness. I felt like they were talking about us, and my fear was confirmed when Thorin nodded Dwalin in our direction, and the large Dwarf began to walk over to where we were.

He held his huge warhammer in hand, and I edged closer to the blades that were currently sitting on the bench. I thought that he was going to approach me, but he went over to Josh. Josh noticed him as he approached, and despite being taller than Dwalin, he looked terrified.

"Pick up a sword, boy," Dwalin said in his deep voice. Josh just looked at him with a mix of confusion and alarm.

"Wha-why?" He stuttered out. The rest of the company had gone quiet and were watching on expectantly. I grabbed my blades from the bench and made a move towards them, but Fili stopped me. I glared at him, and he whispered in my ear.

"Dwalin wants to test Josh's abilities." His expression was stony, but when I looked into his eyes I could see concern in them.

"With a sword that he hasn't practiced with? Your uncle and Dwalin are trying to set him up for failure," I whispered angrily at him, and shrugged out of his grip to move over to Josh, who was still confused as all hell.

"Why don't you get him to show you what he can do with the bow and arrows? He has been practising with that all morning." I said evenly to Dwalin, standing beside my brother.

"What good is that in hand to hand combat? If he is attacked by an Orc within an arm's length, an arrow will not help." I felt some undertones to what the Dwarf was saying, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Kili drop his head. I could feel the anger begin to stir within me, and I glared at him.

"This is the first time we have used weapons like this before. You can't expect us to be experts straight away; we didn't grow up with intense training like you did."

"And where exactly did you grow up? From what I can recall, you have not told us where you are from and why you are here. There is no reason for us to trust you as a part of this company." So, this was their motive. They were trying to find any excuse to get rid of Josh and I, and obviously testing our almost non-existent fighting abilities would be the way to go.

"Gandalf trusted us enough to invite us on this quest with you. Don't you trust a Wizard's judgement?" Dwalin snorted in response, and continued his verbal assault.

"If you cannot prove to us your physical abilities in fighting, then you will not continue with us on this journey. There will be no one joining us that may compromise the claiming of our homeland." That was it. That was the last straw. I was so done with people telling Josh or I that we weren't worth it. We had dealt with enough of it through our father, and I wasn't going to stand here and let someone bully me into defeat.

"No. We don't have to prove anything to you." I took a few steps to my right, to face Thorin who was watching from across the courtyard. "Thorin, if you think you're so tough, then come over here and fight us yourself instead of getting your pit-bull here to do it for you." Thorin stood slowly, glaring daggers into me. He walked over, unsheathing his sword.

"If that is what you wish," he growled, almost reaching me. I outstretched my hand to stop him though, wanting this to be fair.

"You wanted hand to hand combat, so let's make it exactly that. No weapons, just us." I placed my blades back onto the bench, and faced him again. "If I win, you have to stop being a prick towards me and my brother, and Bilbo, and let us continue on your quest. If you win, have it your way. We will stay here." I was boiling with anger, and I heard some murmurs of annoyance from Dwalin and the older Dwarves at the way I was speaking to their King.

At that moment, I didn't care. I would probably get a mouthful from Balin later though about resisting the urge to call their leader derogatory names.

Right now, Thorin was stabbing his sword into the ground to my right. He took off his animal skin cloak and walked back over to where I was standing. I was fully aware of all of the Dwarves watching us now, and it made me nervous. It quickly extinguished the feeling with the anger I felt swirling through my veins.

"Ori should be the judge of who wins, because I think he is the most unbiased one here," I said loudly, and nodded to a confused Ori who hopped off of the bench he was sitting on and moved towards us.

"So be it. Ori, you will call the winner when the other forfeits or is defeated." And with that, Thorin lunged towards me. I barely had a second to jump out of the way; he was so bloody fast and I didn't expect it at all. I spun around and fell back into my defensive stance. He came at me again with punches flying. They weren't typical punches though; they were all over the place and hard to predict. I managed to block most of them, but one landed and connected with my injured arm; pain vibrated through my back and I cried out in agony, but jumped out of the way before he could land another blow.

He was being fuelled by anger; I could see it in his eyes. I couldn't understand why he hated me so much though, because I honestly hadn't done anything wrong to him. It seemed like it was more misplaced anger, and I just seemed to be on the receiving end each time. I realised that I was going to have to think about my moves rather than be driven by the anger that I felt, like Thorin was doing. I needed to outsmart him.

It was _much _harder than it sounded.

He had so much energy and was stocky and strong but quick as well, not even mentioning how many years of training he had. I was becoming exhausted, while he still tried to find ways to land blows to me. A punch connected with my ribs when I didn't move out of the way quickly enough, and I reeled in pain.

Another blow connected with my jaw. My head spun and I stumbled backwards while Fili's cry distracted Thorin momentarily while I recovered.

"Uncle, stop it! This has gone far enough!" Fili yelled, looking between the two of us. He didn't interfere physically though; I think he knew that if he interfered, Thorin would win and we would be officially kicked out of the company.

I needed to end this fast somehow, because my body was in agony and I wasn't going to be able to stand soon. I mustered up as much energy as I could, and aimed for his weak spots. I jumped backwards and swung my leg around in a spinning hook kick, the one that I showed Fili earlier. Thorin was too busy aiming for a blow at my ribs again that he was taken aback by my sudden movement backwards and didn't have time to protect his face when my foot connected with his cheek.

He growled loudly in anger, lunging for me again. I sidestepped to the right, and used my uninjured arm and his momentum to clothesline him to the neck. Using his sudden stop to my advantage, I wrapped my arm around his neck tightly, and swung myself around, throwing Thorin to the ground.

Before he could collect himself and stand back up, I jumped atop of him, straddling him around the waist with my knees pinning his arms by his sides. Quickly moving my own, I wrapped both arms around his neck, grasping my own forearms and squeezing his neck in between my hold.

He tried to throw me off several times, and with his weight he almost managed it each time, but I continued to squeeze down on his neck until he was struggling to breathe. He managed to free his arms from under my legs, and he grabbed at any part of me he could reach. At one point, he clutched his large hand around my injured shoulder and dug his fingers in. Despite crying out in pain, I would not let go. I tightened my forearms and watched as his face begun to turn red.

He looked at me, with venom and loathing in his eyes. I thought that he wasn't going to forfeit, but he finally spoke out in choked breaths.

"I surrender." I let him go and jumped off, moving quickly away from the Dwarf who would probably try to kill me the second he got to his feet.

I wasn't far off. He stood up, fury in his eyes and anger radiating off of him like heat. He roared at me, the power in his voice never failing despite the hoarseness of his voice from my chokehold.

"Do not think that this makes you a member of this company. You and your brother are of no use to this quest, and you will never be one of us." He stormed off in the opposite direction of us all, and Dwalin and Balin hurriedly followed after him.

The anger surged through my body, but as the adrenalin wore off, I begun to shake. Picking up my dual blades from the bench, I quickly ducked out of the courtyard on the opposite side that Thorin had stormed out of. Josh and Fili had called out to me, but I ignored them.

I started to run through the corridors, and recognising where I was, quickly made my way down the stone steps towards the hot springs that lay beneath the House of Rivendell. When I reached the large cave-like area, I sat down by the edge of the larger bathing spring, pulling up my slacks to sink my feet and legs in.

Tears ran down my face, mixing with the dirt, sweat and blood that already clung there. All I wanted to do was get into the hot spring and lay in there forever, but if Josh and Fili were still looking for me then I would rather not be naked and without a towel if they came down here.

I sat with my feet in the spring for a long time. It was making me sweat even more, but it felt good against the aching of my muscles and the pain that throbbed through my ribcage, shoulder and jaw.

After a while, a voice behind me made me jump half a metre, and almost into the water.

"There you are, _Mahal_, we were so worried." It was Fili, and I turned back to look at the water. I tried to ignore him, but he wasn't about to give in that easily, unfortunately. He sat down by my side, legs crossed casually in front of him.

"Amelia? Are you alright? How injured are you?" I still refused to answer or look in his direction, and continued to play with the water bubbling beneath my fingertips until he made me look at him. He put a gentle hand to my cheek and turned me to face him, wiping away several fresh tears as he did so.

"I'm fine," I deadpanned, looking at the ground. Tilting my chin upwards, I had nothing to do but look at him. His blue eyes were darker than usual, and it reminded me of the dark blue of the sky in the twilight, just after the sun sets. There was sadness prominent in the depths of them, and I sighed in defeat.

"Ugh, fine, I'm not alright. Your uncle is an asshole and I don't know why he and Dwalin hate us so much. I'm sick of them saying that Josh and I are worthless. We just want to help you guys and find out why we are here in the first place. We want to prove that we can help but it doesn't help that he is such a stubborn dick! Not to mention I got myself hurt in that fight that probably still got us kicked out of the company despite me winning."

I rushed everything out quickly, and then pursed my lips shut in regret at calling Fili's uncle an asshole. I expected him to yell at me or defend his uncle, but he didn't. What he did surprised me. Taking my hands in his, he began to speak.

"Amelia, I will not let him make that decision. I won't tell him what you have told me of how you got here, but I will tell him that I feel as though you are on this quest for a reason, and that I trust Gandalf's judgement. You and your brother need to understand your purpose for being here. You have also been helpful, despite what Thorin believes. You saved Kili's life when neither of us could, and I think that is one reason why he has hard feelings towards you. He feels like it is his responsibility to protect Kili, and in a way it is, but it shouldn't _just_ be up to him."

"But you don't resent me for that, do you?" I asked quietly, worried about what the answer may be.

"No I do not. Do you know why?" When I shook my head, he continued. "Because you saved his life. Despite it being our job to protect him, you were there to do it when we failed and I am in your debt for protecting my brother and my best friend."

He bowed his head towards me, and I was taken aback by his words. He was so genuine and sincere, and I was all of a sudden overwhelmingly glad that I had found a friend in him.

"But what do I do about Thorin? He isn't going to let me or Josh continue with you lot. How can I convince him?" Fili stood up suddenly, pulling me up with him.

"Leave that to me. He is my uncle, and he will listen to me. I will speak to Ori and Bofur also, and ask for their help in convincing Thorin." He started walking confidently towards the stone stairway, when my words stopped him in his tracks.

"Why are you helping me and Josh? Why does it matter so much to you?" He turned around slowly, looking at me with such intensity that it made me feel nervous again. Still looking at me, he walked back to where I stood. My stomach flitted anxiously as he put a hand against my cheek.

"You and your brother deserve to be given a chance. You are not so different from Kili and I, and not only do I admire you and the way that you defend and protect Joshua, but.. But I am quite fond of you, Miss Amelia." And with that bombshell and a soft kiss on my forehead, he moved back to the staircase and disappeared.

What. Wait, _what?_ I plonked myself back onto the ground and tried to sieve through the jumble of confusion that were my thoughts. There was hope. There was hope! Fili was going to talk to Thorin, and _oh my god_ Fili admitted to liking me. I think. What does '_being fond of someone'_ actually mean? Feeling overwhelmed by the thoughts swirling through my head, I decided to hop in the bathing spring fully clothed and scrubbed myself and my clothes clean.

After I was finished, I walked back to the room that Arwen had said was mine until I needed it. I was dripping wet, but as soon as I closed the door, I took off the wet clothes and changed into one of the dresses (ugh) that was lying atop the bed. I wrung the water out of each piece of my clothes, and laid them to dry on the windowsill where there was still sunlight left. It was still quite warm, and it wasn't taking long for the clothes to dry.

I wasn't going to go out to have dinner with the company. Fuck _that_. There would just be too much awkwardness for me to deal with. I was feeling really hungry after the day's events though. As if on cue, there was a knock on my door. Unsure of whom it was, I moved away from the door and yelled 'come in!'

The door opened and there stood Josh balancing a tray full of different types of food in one hand and a large flagon of something in the other. And when I say full, I mean the tray was piled up until nothing else could possibly fit on there. I smiled at him and relaxed, glad that it wasn't a psychotic Dwarf ready to kill me.

"I thought you might be hungry and want some company. Some of the others wanted to check on you, but at the risk of being killed by Thorin, they just piled on lots of food for you. Bombur was adamant that you eat all of it." He sat down on my bed and I joined him, crossing my legs and grabbing for the first thing I saw.

We sat in silence for a while, almost finishing off every piece of meat, cheese, fruit and vegetable there was and sharing the wine between ourselves.

"How angry are they at me?" I asked Josh quietly, and he replied casually, which I wasn't expecting.

"To be honest? Most of them. Kili, Fili, Ori, Bofur, Bombur and even Nori are trying to get Thorin to keep us with the company. Bilbo had no idea what was going on, the poor guy. They seem pretty certain that Thorin can't kick us to the curb. The older Dwarves are angrier though. Gloin, Bifur, Dori, and even Oin and Balin are pretty upset that you talked to Thorin that way. "

"Dwalin and Thorin are absolutely fuming though; I stayed well away from them both. But you kicked his ass, Amelia! You proved that we are more than we look. Well, you are more than you look. Fili said he would find you, so I stayed and showed Gloin my progress with the bow and arrow, and he thought that I was doing well. He agreed with Dwalin though, about needing to be able to beat someone in hand to hand combat. Kili said that he would keep helping me practice though." He grinned at that, but his smile faltered when I replied.

"Well I don't think beating Thorin is going to get me any brownie points with them. Plus, I didn't get out of that without the idiot landing some blows. My ribs, shoulder and head hurt like hell."

"Is there anything I can get you? Maybe one of the Elves can use their magic again?"

"It's okay, Josh. I don't want to run to the Elves for help every time I get hurt. I would need a personal Elf to follow me around forever if that were the case," I half laughed. He grimaced and nodded in agreement while he continued to eat the remainder of the food on the tray.

"Thorin, Balin, Bilbo and Gandalf were having a meeting with the Elf King. His name is Elrond, and he seems alright. The Elves don't show a lot of emotion though, do they? Anyway, Bilbo was with Elrond today, that's why he wasn't training with us. He said that he had explored around Rivendell."

"Yeah, it looks like he has fallen in love with the place. Do you think that they will kick Bilbo out of the company for what happened today?" I wondered aloud, worried that I had ruined his chances of continuing. I doubt he would mind though; he was having a rough time being with the company too.

"Amelia, neither of us is getting kicked out of the company. Fili was pretty adamant about that." Josh raised an eyebrow and smirked, and I proceeded to spit the mouthful of wine I was trying to drink all over the floor next to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked between fits of coughing.

"Well, he was the one discussing with the other Dwarves that aren't angry at us that they need to convince Thorin that we should stay with them." His teasing tone suddenly turned serious, and he frowned at me. "But why did you tell him about where we were from? We should have talked about this before you blurted out the one thing that only a few people should know." He wasn't truly angry, but I got hints of disappointment from him and that hurt.

"I'm sorry.. I'll discuss it with you next time, but he isn't going to tell anyone. He entrusted me with a secret, and I told him one of mine." He sighed, his frown lessening as he exhaled.

"Okay. I trust him too, both him and Kili, but we should talk to each other about this. I don't think that it's a good idea to tell just anyone; both of us should trust the person, like we both trust Bilbo and Gandalf.

"Alright, deal," I said, outstretching my hand. He shook it, and a smile graced his lips.

It had started to become dark, and I began to doze off while still sitting on the bed talking to Josh. Sometime later, there was a knock at the door and Arwen came in, smiling kindly at the two of us. She must have heard about today's events, because she offered Josh his own room, which he accepted eagerly. He felt a little uncomfortable around Thorin and Dwalin, and felt like we should let them cool off before we talk to them.

"We will talk to them at breakfast, yeah?" I said to Josh, my anxiety about the discussion visible on my face. I smiled though, with the hope that the Dwarves on our side would help us out.

"Yep. I think they will come around Amelia, I have a good feeling about tomorrow." He left to his own room, and Arwen stayed to quickly check on my injuries. I refused any kind of medicine for the bruising, but I felt like she must have done something because I wasn't feeling quite as sore as I fell into the pillows and sheets of the Elvish bed. I drifted to sleep quickly, with a spark of hope in my heart that Josh and I would be able to fix things with Thorin tomorrow.

When I awoke the next morning, the company was gone.


	9. The Pain of Rejection

"Josh! Josh get up!" I shook my brother by the shoulder, trying to wake him up. There was a string of inaudible moans and groans before he actually managed to say something I could understand.

"Unghh, what do you waaant," he complained.

"Get up, Josh. They're gone."

"Who's gone where?" He mumbled, pulling the covers over his head.

"The company, they've all gone. Bilbo, Bofur, Thorin… Fili.. All of them. Get up!" I hit him hard in the shoulder. Finally comprehending my words, he jumped upright from out of the covers.

"They're gone as in they left us?" He exclaimed, hopping out of the bed and throwing on his tunic and shoes.

"I've looked everywhere. All of their things are gone from the courtyard. I… I can't believe it.." And I really couldn't either. I had woken just as the sun had come up, and made my way to the courtyard to meet the company for breakfast. The entire time I had been going over my head what I would say to them, what I would say to Thorin. But when I got there, it was empty.

I _had_ looked everywhere; the bathing springs, the training field, the kitchen, the gardens and courtyards, but I hadn't found a trace of them. Not until I ran into one of the Elves from breakfast the morning before, who told me that they had left through the valley just before the sun rose.

I found Josh's room quickly, needing some kind of reassurance. Some explanation as to why they would leave us behind without a word. Josh knew as little as me, and he was as upset as I was.

"B-but Fili was so confident Thorin wouldn't leave us behind? I don't understand. Bilbo is gone too?" I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I felt like the thin ice I had been tip-toeing on for the past month had just collapsed from under my feet, and I was at risk of drowning in the fear that was beginning to overwhelm me.

Sure, it was hard as hell being with the company, and half of them despised us, but they were all we knew. We had no other lifeline in this world, nothing else to grip onto and the anxiety was beginning to crawl up through my chest, taking hold of my breath.

"What do we do now? Where do we go?" Josh was still voicing his fears out loud. He had sat back down on the bed, elbows on his knees and running his hands through his hair in anguish. I was trying to get my breathing under control, but it was failing miserably.

The pain of rejection crept throughout my body and began to sting in what felt like physical agony. It felt like I was being crushed under an external pressure that I couldn't see. I sat heavily on the grey stone floor, trying to hold myself together. What else could I do though? We had been abandoned.

_They didn't want us. They never did_. Thoughts flitted across my mind in a cascade of emotional turmoil. _Bofur left you. Bilbo left you. Gandalf left you. Even Fili left you._ I felt sick thinking about Fili in particular. Was everything he had said just a lie until he left? But why would he do that? I understood why Thorin and Dwalin would leave us, but why would the others willingly leave us behind?

I scrunched my eyes closed in an attempt to clear my head. Taking in slow, deep breaths, I allowed myself just enough clarity to think about what to do next.

"Josh, we need to go and find Arwen." I took a few more deep breaths in an attempt to compose myself, and then quickly stood up.

"Why?" He looked at me and I saw in his eyes what I felt myself. Hurt, rejection, fear.

"We need to find out where they went."

"But _why_, Amelia? They _left us_. They don't want us or need us." I didn't know if I could argue with that. We were useless and they didn't want us, it was true. I was about to give up, when I felt in my gut that wasn't the right thing to do. I remembered back to the first night we were in Middle Earth. Bofur had told Josh stories of his home, the very home that they were going to reclaim. That was the day we had lost our own home, metaphorically and quite literally. That was the night Josh sat me down, and as determined as he was, convinced me that we should help the Dwarves.

"No, Josh. Most of them may not want us, but they don't know that they need us. Bilbo needs us." Josh looked at me blankly as I spoke, but when I mentioned Bilbo, I saw the spark in his eyes that I was looking for. It was brief, but his determination was still there.

"Come, let's go and find Arwen." We swiftly packed our rucksacks and moved through the halls to find the Elf. After searching for what seemed like forever, we stumbled upon another Elf who showed us to where Arwen was. We meandered through corridors until we came into a large, beautiful garden where she was kneeling in front of an enormous oak tree.

"Arwen, we need your help." I approached the woman, getting straight to the point. We didn't have time to beat around the bush with this. She stood up, finally looking at us. I saw sadness and even pity within her eyes; she already knew.

"Your company have left you behind," She stated, instead of phrasing it as a question. I nodded without a word, desperately trying to hold back the tears that prickled in my eyes.

"What do you ask of me, Lady Amelia?" Her words were kind and genuine; she showed more emotion than any of the other Elves that I had interacted with here, and it was a breath of fresh air to be honest.

"We need to see the King. Can you help us find him?" She smiled softly at me, and replied.

"Of course. I will show you to my father, _Lord_ Elrond." I was a bit shocked to hear that he was her father. Did that meant that she was a kind of like a princess? The thought was quite weird. She didn't act like she was better than us at all, unlike Thorin.

Arwen led up a stone staircase, and through many corridors. My mind was a jumble of emotions and thoughts. Is this the right thing to be doing? Should we actually find them? They did leave us for a reason. I had to try and block the thoughts from my mind, and ignored the knot that grew tighter in my stomach with each second that was passing.

We came into a large area; it wasn't really a room because it was so open, but it had a stone table and chairs in the middle. It reminded me of the other courtyards we had found, but I got a strange feeling from the place. It felt like it was important, or powerful.

Looking around, I saw a familiar figure. I just about jumped for joy when I realised it was the old wizard we had grown so fond of.

"Gandalf!" I cried, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug. Josh did the same as soon as I let go, and I looked up at him. It seemed that everyone was miserable today; Gandalf's lips were pursed in a tight line and his eyes were burrowed into a frown.

"Miss Amelia, Master Joshua.. You should not still be here. You were supposed to leave with the company.." Through his words I could tell that he was quite surprised, and his frown deepened.

"They left us Gandalf," Josh whispered, his voice cracking in distress. Gandalf's surprise turned into anger, and I saw in the corner of my eye the shadows that begun to grow around him.

"Stubborn, foolish Dwarf! The idiocy of Thorin will get himself and those around him killed!" Gandalf began pacing in anger, muttering under his breath about Thorin's actions.

"It seems as though you had more faith in this Dwarf than what he should be credited for, _Mithrandir_." I turned around to find two tall, absolutely beautiful Elves. The one that spoke was Lord Elrond, the Elf I had seen at dinner a few nights ago. He wore an intricate crown that drew around his forehead and shaped his already sharp-featured face. There were small braids entwined in his dark hair that stretched half way down his long, slender body. He was gorgeous; I felt like he could have been a model in our world.

The other Elf was a woman with long, flowing blonde hair. She also wore a crown, silver and elegant, that gently wrapped around at her forehead. Her dress clung to her body in the right places, but flowed in other spots. She. Was. Incredible. I was becoming a little entranced by the duo, when the blonde Elf turned to look at me and smiled knowingly. Feeling a little embarrassed from staring at the two, I looked at the ground.

"Master Joshua, Miss Amelia; I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting." The blonde spoke in a silky voice that made me look up from the ground back at her, as she moved towards us and bowed slightly.

"I am Lady Galadriel. And you are very far from home." She peered at the both of us in curiosity, and I turned around to glare at Gandalf. He must have told her about where we were from, and that annoyed me a little bit.

_Do not fear, Miss Amelia. Gandalf did not share with me your secrets. I have other ways of collecting information._ I gaped at Galadriel. I could have sworn I heard her talk, but her mouth didn't move at all. She was still smiling at my slyly.

_I have the ability to communicate with others inside their minds. Do not be afraid._

Like _hell_. I was absolutely terrified.

"How are you doing that?" She smiled, and the others looked at me knowingly. All except for Josh, who looked as though he thought I was going mad.

"Elvish magic, my dear child. You have questions to be asked, and we are willing to listen." Both she and Elrond smiled. I guessed from her freaky super mind reading that they both knew a lot about Josh and I, so decided to ask them what had been bugging me ever since we got here.

"How and why did we get here? Into Middle Earth from our world?" I was expecting there to be some great big revelation, but the answer Galadriel was supremely anti-climactic.

"There is an Old Magick present in this world and yours, which has been overlooked by many. Forgotten it may be, but still it lingers in the smallest corners of the unknown." That didn't answer my question at all, and I saw her smile almost humorously when I made it clear in my mind that I thought as much.

"But how did we get here? It could have been anyone that walked along the same path that we did. Why _us_? Why exactly are _we_ here?" I waved my arms around me in frustration, looking between the two.

"Yes, it could have been anyone. But it was you two in particular. You must ponder on that; whatever power that allowed you access to Middle Earth, brought both of you specifically. There is most certainly a reason, though quite unclear it may be to some."

"What are we meant to do though? What is our bloody reason for ending up here?" I was starting to get upset again, and my voice was rising with each word. It was Lord Elrond that spoke this time.

"I think you have already found your reason for being here, Miss Amelia." I was about to say that I still had no idea what he was talking about, when Galadriel's voice flooded my head.

_The company and their quest._ I frowned at her, seeing the obvious dilemma in that.

"But they left us? They don't care about whether we are with them or not. They don't want us to help them."

"You already know that is untrue, child. Both of you have helped these Dwarves through your travels. Do not discredit yourself because another does not see the value in you. You are not useless, and you have much to offer them. But it is your choice; you can either help them in their quest, or continue back home." The breath caught in my throat at her words.

"Home? You know a way to get back to our world?" She nodded slightly, before continuing.

"There is one way. It may not be reliable, however. There are few in Middle Earth able to harness the Magick of the Old World. I am one of these few. If it is your wish to go back, then I will help you."

I felt flooded with emotion, like a wave had just crashed over me. There was a way to get back to our world. I could go back to the simplicity of Earth. I could forget about all of this and it will just be a memory, a whisper of rejection and pain that was nothing more than a bad dream.

But did I want it? I felt like a dog that had been running after a car for the past month; I had finally gotten to the car, but what did I actually do with it now?

I thought about the promise that I had made to our mother, to look after and protect Josh. What sort of sister would I be if I didn't protect him? But either world we stayed in, he was going to be in danger. At least back on Earth, I had a better chance of looking after him. I didn't want to take Josh back there, but it seemed like the best idea. We had almost died here, and the very people we thought we trusted had abandoned us. I thought about the company, remembering over the past month.

I remembered back to when we first met Bilbo, and despite being bombarded with thirteen Dwarves in his home, he had still made time to listen to me when I was breaking down. He had looked after me, and I felt like he had become the closest friend I ever had. I remembered first being introduced to the Dwarves, and how curious some of them were to meet us. I remembered them singing songs and the pranks that Fili and Kili would play on all of us.

I remembered Bofur and his stories of Erebor and the Blue Mountains; I remembered helping Fili through his nightmares and I remembered picking vegetables and fruit with Bombur. I remembered learning about different medicines with Oin; I remembered listening to Ori speak about his parents, who were now stars in the distant sky, and I remembered saving Kili's life.

We had promised to help them on this quest, and despite Thorin's constant tirade of criticism towards us, they had started to feel like an actual _family _to me. My guard had slipped somehow, and had begun to feel attachment to these people… Then it really hit me. The reason their abandonment hurt me so much was because I had begun to care about them.

I thought about going home, and what it would mean. _But it wasn't home anymore_, I thought. I guess there was that old saying, 'home is where the heart is.' Yeah, I missed things about our world, but was my heart really there? I had no family or friends there. But here, I had found exactly that.

I was caught between two promises though, and in trying to do one I would contradict the other. I had to make a compromise. I remembered my mums face the last time she saw me. It was filled with so much love and kindness. I had always wanted to be as compassionate as she was and I think she would have wanted me to be as well. She would have wanted me to help other people. She wouldn't have wanted me to give up, and she would be so happy that we had finally found people who felt like a family, after so many years without belonging to one.

They did need us though. Even if half of the Dwarves didn't think so, I thought about Bilbo. He helped us when we needed it, and I thought about him being alone with the company that he felt like he didn't fit into. He needed us now, and that was all it took for me to make up my mind for good. No more room for doubt.

"Josh, what do you think?" He looked at me, obviously thinking over our opportunity and wrestling in his mind about the enormous decision that would ultimately change our lives for better or worse.

"I feel so betrayed that they left us Amelia. But they are our friends, and we need to try and help. Besides, I know what going back means. I made the decision a long time ago that I would not go back to our world, no matter what happened here." The hint of determination I saw in his eyes now dominated his features. He was no longer a scared little boy.

"Thank you for the offer, Galadriel, but we will stay and help our friends." She smiled at me, warmth lighting up her eyes. As I thought about how we were to get back to the company, another question flitted into my mind.

"Why can't we remember what happens next? You've looked into my mind; you know that this world is make-believe where we come from. How is that possible and why have we forgotten?" I had ideas about this, but they were nothing more than speculation.

"As you know, there are ways to travel from one world to the next. However, this does not mean that your world is running in synch with this one; as I said, it is unreliable. Any one individual not sufficiently experienced in the powers of the Old Magick could end up in a time that is a century, a millennia before or after their own time."

"Our current age that you speak of, that was recorded in your world, may have come from one who was able to harness this power to travel between worlds. There are others in Middle Earth, though very, very few, who are able to use this Magick. I imagine you already know the answer to your seeming loss of memory of these records. Those who see into the future have the power to bend the balance of nature to their will, but the balance of nature will not allow just anyone to do that."

"Do not underestimate your strength. You will need it, dear children." Galadriel bowed slightly, and with a small smile playing on her lips, she turned around and disappeared. Elrond promised provisions for both Josh and I, and himself and Arwen excused themselves to collect food and medicines.

Gandalf, Josh and I were left there by ourselves. I stood silently, still trying to absorb everything that the Elves had just said. It was a lot to take in at once, and I was starting to think that feeling overwhelmed was just a normal thing for me now. Gandalf was the first to speak in the absence of Galadriel and Lord Elrond.

"Master Joshua, Miss Amelia. We leave on foot as soon as we collect our provisions. We are to meet the company in the Misty Mountains, as I had arranged with Thorin. There, we will continue on. You must know that this part of our journey will not be easy, and I require the both of you to summon your strength, courage and bravery."

And with that, Gandalf left to collect his own belongings. I looked at Josh, and there was now a mix of determination and nervous anticipation in his expression. We left the courtyard to find the kitchens, where Elrond was overseeing a number of Elves to collect food and also medicine for us. After half an hour of collecting the things we needed for the next part of the journey, we were ready to leave.

Arwen met us at the bridge that led out of Rivendell. As we reached her, I saw that she was cradling bundles that were covered in fabric, in her arms. She uncovered the cloth with her free hand to reveal a number of weapons; two of which I recognised as the dual knives I had used the day before.

"Master Joshua; you showed great improvement in the use of a bow in your time here, and I would like to offer this to you as a gift. This bow and the arrows that accompany it were expertly carved by the Elvish wood smiths of Rivendell. May it bring you luck, and aid you in your journey."

"Miss Amelia; these are the twin blades that you used yesterday in the training field. I witnessed how entranced you became by the weapons, and I believe that they now belong to you. May they aid you in your journey and bring you luck."

I hadn't realised Arwen had actually been watching us yesterday. I was almost speechless at her words and the fact that she was giving us these beautiful gifts. I honestly never thought I would say that about a pair of knives, but they were so incredible, and were something that we would surely need on the rest of our journey.

"Thank you so much Arwen. I-I don't know what to say. Just thank you..." Smiling at Josh and I, she gave me an intricately knotted belt in which sheaths were attached to for my weapons. I tied the belt around my waist and put my weapons into their sheaths at either side of my body. She gave Josh some new clothes (which were much bigger than what he was currently wearing), and a leather arm guard to wear as protection while he shot arrows from his bow.

Josh, Gandalf and I said goodbye to Arwen, and we began our ascent out of Rivendell. I looked behind me every so often, feeling extremely sad to be leaving this peaceful paradise. Despite everything that Josh and I had dealt with in the time we were there, it was a truly beautiful place. I hoped that one day I might be able to come back, and maybe see Arwen again.

We continued further away, along paths that wound into the mountains around Rivendell. I looked one last time at the spectacular Elvish home, and bid goodbye to it as we rounded the mountain path and it disappeared from view.


	10. The Sacrifices Made For Family

Five nights and six days had passed since we left Rivendell. We walked for as long as we could manage each day, though it usually seemed to be either Josh or I who was completely exhausted and needed to rest, and not the old Wizard.

The scenery surrounding us changed from beautiful green valleys and cliff faces that were covered in mosses and flowers, to forests and then to sloping rocky paths atop the highest mountains I had ever seen in my life. The further we got away from Rivendell, the less at ease I felt. I remembered Bilbo and how he spoke of the magic that he had felt within the walls of the Elvish home; I assumed that their magic was thinning out as we continued on our path.

Josh and I discussed and speculated a lot about what Galadriel and Elrond had said to us. We had been offered the chance to get back to our world, and we both denied it. Even if I had desperately wanted to go back, I would have stayed in Middle Earth if Josh had decided to stay.

We also wondered about why the company kept Bilbo with them and left us; it wasn't that we didn't believe in him, but we knew Thorin didn't. Gandalf answered that question for us. Apparently Bilbo was still tied to his contract until Thorin and Balin released him from it, and they still needed a burglar. I felt so bad for the Hobbit who had confided in me back in Rivendell, telling me that he didn't feel like he was accepted as part of the company.

The further we went, the more sure I felt that I had made the right decision. I felt like going back wouldn't have been as simple as I would have expected. When I thought about it more, I realised I would have had to explain to people back in our world where I had been for over a month (if I had actually been reported missing, that is).

Even though I felt like we had made the right decision, I still felt nervous. I fully expected Thorin to try and make us leave, though I knew Gandalf wouldn't let him do that. It would be a large blow to my determination, but I tried to prepare myself for what I thought Thorin would say.

I felt more anxious about the way Gandalf was acting though. He had some input into our discussions, but he was mostly withdrawn and gazed in all directions around us constantly, as if searching for something within the shadows. I decided to ask him what was wrong on the sixth morning as we ate portions of fruit and bread for breakfast.

"Gandalf?" I queried, looking across at him as we sat on thick, fallen branches that had started to grow green with moss. He simply hummed in acknowledgment, but didn't look up at me.

"Gandalf, is something wrong?" He finally looked at me, his eyes peering into the depths of my own. I shifted a little uncomfortably under his gaze, but he quickly glanced towards the sky and replied after a little while.

"There is something stirring, Miss Amelia. I can feel it in the air around us." He looked ominously into the surrounding forest. It had begun to thin, as we were now treading up another steep mountain.

"Does it have something to do with Radagast and why he came looking for you the other day?" As always, Josh had mirrored my own thoughts. We both looked at the Wizard expectantly, and he sighed at us, furrowing his brows together in a frown.

"Yes, Master Joshua, it does. Though you should not let these matters concern you." He looked away from us again, obviously trying to end the conversation. I, on the other hand, wanted to know what was going on.

"Of course it concerns us Gandalf; it's worrying you and you're a Wizard, for Christ's sake. What the hell could scare you?" Again he sighed, but he finally answered my question after a few moments in deep thought.

"An evil is awakening within this world, my dear friends. Something that has not been felt for an age, and we must be prepared, for it may be the downfall of us all." And with that, he collected his rucksack and begun walking along a path that lay in the sloping ground.

Suddenly, the idea of going back to our world seemed a lot_ less_ daunting. What sort of evil was Gandalf talking about? I started to wonder if Galadriel's help was a standing offer. _It's too late to turn back now,_ I thought, scolding myself for being such a sook. _Your friends need you._

We continued to travel along the path, until the trees cleared completely. We stopped, looking at the jagged mountains that lay before us. I gulped at the terrifying sight, realising that the rocky path that we were on led straight along the face of the mountain.

"Do we have to go up there?" Josh wondered aloud to Gandalf.

"We will meet Thorin and the company through these paths. Tread carefully, and stay close to each other. The Misty Mountains are treacherous." Gandalf led the way, and after a grim look shared with my brother, we followed after him. The path wasn't too bad at first, but it got harder as we went along as the ground beneath us became looser and more slippery.

As if I thought that was the worst part, I had severely underestimated how high we were going to get. The other mountains we travelled across were fine, because we mostly walked along paths and across plateaus. On this mountain though, we were walking along a narrow ledge that snaked around the mountain face. It felt like a chasm had opened up in the valley below us, swallowing all light that shone close enough.

We travelled through to late afternoon without stopping; Gandalf had become increasingly anxious, and he had refused our pleading to stop for lunch. Even when we finally stopped, we couldn't even sit down to eat our food. The path had become way too narrow, so we quickly scoffed small amounts of fruit and moved on.

I felt like we were going to have to keep walking the entire night; there was no way that we would be able to sleep up here without rolling off the damned edge to our deaths. I was trying to work out how far the fall would be, when something wet dropped onto my nose. I looked above me, and what I saw filled my entire body with dread.

Black and grey storm clouds had gathered above the mountains, threatening a downpour at any moment. I had a moment to wonder if this was what Gandalf had meant by something stirring in the air, before the heavens rained downed upon us.

"Keep moving!" I barely heard Gandalf yell through the deluge. Within moments I was utterly and thoroughly drenched, and the evening light was quickly extinguished. The wet path beneath me began to affect my footing, and I almost took a swan dive over the cliff. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I was clinging onto the rocky mountain beside me for dear life.

We moved slowly, but fortunately came to a larger area on the cliff face just as we heard the roaring of thunder, and were nearly blinded by flashes of lightning. The area Gandalf had moved onto had a jagged rock protruding from above us, and we cowered beneath it away from as much of the rain as we could get.

It didn't make a significant difference, but the fact that we were well away from the hazardous cliff face was a sigh of relief. Josh and I huddled close together and Gandalf was hunched down beside us. He held out his cloak in front of all of us, helping to protect us from the wind and rain.

I silently thanked Elrond's last minute thinking in getting us two cloaks before we left. Both were green, but mine had to be cut shorter to accommodate my short stature; Josh was approximately the height of the Elves so he hadn't needed any modifications.

I shivered under the hood of my cloak, wrapping my arms around my knees in an attempt to keep warm. Even though the rain wasn't freezing cold, the wind made my teeth chatter and fingertips numb. The mountain seemed to shake in the storm, and I prayed that the ledge didn't suddenly collapse beneath us.

We stayed like that for a long time, probably most of the night; the wind roared against the rocks and howled through each crook and crevice in the mountainside. There were many times that the mountain quaked under our feet and I closed my eyes tight, trying to think of anything but the absolutely terrible situation we were in.

Even if we continued on after the rain stopped, the slippery rocks could cause us to fall. I doubted any experienced climber would attempt this feat, even with safety equipment. We remained huddled together, almost like penguins, until the thunder and lightning stopped. The mountain stopped rocking, and even the wind and rain died down.

"Make haste, we must keep moving. We must reach the company." Gandalf quickly hurried back to the ledge, following the precarious path around the mountainside. Josh followed him, and I brought up the rear. I wanted to make sure I was watching my brother at all times in case he needed my help, though I drowned any thoughts of him falling out of my mind. _That's not going to happen._

Despite the risk of falling due to the slippery path, Gandalf didn't slow. In fact, he probably moved faster than he had before and I inwardly cursed the damn wizard. He was going to get us killed! It was just as well that it didn't continue to rain and we managed to get on without injuring ourselves or falling to our deaths.

My hands were getting cut though, from holding on so fiercely to the jagged rocks. I didn't know if the sensation of wet hands was from the rain dripping down the mountain face or blood from my hands that were raw and scratched. The only respite I had was the cool sensation of the rocks I grasped onto; besides that, we continued on.

It felt like hours since we had found refuge under the cliff face, and it probably had been. I was shivering under my wet clothes and my body ached. My shoulder was stiff and my ribs had begun to sting, despite the fact they were mostly healed and I hadn't had any problems with them since Rivendell.

We continued for a while longer, but finally Gandalf came to a slow in front of us. He looked to the sky above us and mountains surrounding us, before moving around a bend in the path. I rounded the corner and found a large area, even bigger than the last ledge. I quickly moved away from the edge, as did Josh, and we moved in closer to Gandalf.

He was still searching around him, a frown etched into his face. Before I could even ask him what was wrong, he moved further across the ledge towards the face of the mountain, and ducking down, he peered into an area that I couldn't quite see.

"Miss Amelia, Master Joshua, move over here quickly. Do not move inside until I inform you that it is okay to do so." He disappeared, and I finally saw what he had looked into; it was a cave opening, only about as tall as I was but actually quite wide. I looked inside to see Gandalf using his staff as a light; quite literally the end of his stick glowed and lit the entire space.

The Wizard was close to a far wall when he yelled for us to enter.

"Stand on the rocks close to the walls, and do not step on the floor!" Josh and I both moved in cautiously, worried about what we were going to find. It wasn't what I was expecting, but when I realised what it was my stomach heaved.

There were several rucksacks close to the walls where we were standing, on the rocks that were there. My first thought was '_that's weird, why would anyone leave their things behind'_. My second thought was then '_they wouldn't have left it here by choice', _and my final realisation was _'fuck, they are the Dwarves' bags.'_

I moved carefully towards them, treading on the rocks that Gandalf had told us to step on. I opened the one closest to me, looking to see whose rucksack it was. I almost cried when I pulled out Ori's sketchbook. He never went anywhere without it, and I turned to face Gandalf.

"Where are they? What's happened to them?" He was examining the walls surrounding us, carefully feeling each surface with his hands. He glanced at me quickly, and replied in hushed tones.

"They have been taken. This is a goblin trap, Miss Amelia, and we must find their entrance into the mountain to find our company, as they are in grave danger." Goblins, kidnapping, danger. _Fuck._ With shaky hands I tucked Ori's sketchpad into my own rucksack, and begun to search the walls around me for some sort of door I supposed. Josh did the same thing from where he was standing, after a few long minutes of searching, Josh spoke.

"Gandalf, this feels like something here. It's not solid like the rest of the cave." Gandalf quickly moved to my brother, feeling the area with his own hands.

"Keen spotting, Master Joshua," he said as he placed the end of his staff to the door. He begun to mutter something under his breath and from what I managed to make out, it wasn't English.

All of a sudden the area of wall at which the two were standing shuddered, and moved to reveal an entrance slightly smaller than the size of a normal door. The wizard turned to us both as I moved closer, and whispered to us.

"You must be quiet, as quiet as you've ever been in your life. We must find and rescue the company. Do not make any foolish moves, and do nothing until I tell you to. Now, follow me." He ducked as he disappeared through the entrance, and Josh and I followed suit.

As soon as we entered, I felt suffocated by the stench that sat stagnant in the air. It smelt old and rotting and dusty, and I had to resist the feeling in the pit of my stomach that told my brain I needed to be sick. We were inside a massive, humungous cave; there were bridges made of wood and rope connecting areas below us, and primitive paths that had been dug into the walls.

We followed one of these paths, moving slowly downwards. There was little light where we were, but Gandalf didn't light his staff to keep us hidden. The whole space was so backwards; while there were bridges and paths built, it didn't have anywhere near as much elegance and ageless beauty as Rivendell. It was like comparing the streets of Venice to a slum in an area that didn't have the money to build anything better.

What scared me most was the fact that it was dead silent; I couldn't hear anything at all. We walked for a long time before I heard anything other than the breathing of Josh and I. At first they sounded like echoes of someone yelling, and the closer we got, the more I missed the silence.

I could hear shrieks and screams, chortling and cackling, horrendous howls and wails that sounded animalistic. The noises bounced off of the walls and sent chills up my spine; I didn't want to get any closer to the source of the terrifying sounds. We had to though, and following closely to Gandalf beat any idea I had of running in the opposite direction and more than likely getting lost in this nightmare.

I remembered then that I had forgotten about my weapons. I pulled out my dual blades, wielding them just how Fili showed me. I also realised that Josh only had his bow and arrows, and mentally kicked myself for not getting him a weapon that he could use in close combat.

_I guess Dwalin had been right_, I thought bitterly.

The next time Gandalf stopped to survey the situation I tapped Josh on the shoulder. He turned around quickly, seemingly expecting something to be wrong by the frightened look he gave me. I gave him a reassuring smile and held out one of my blades, not speaking in the chance that something could hear us.

He looked at the blade, but grinned at me and pulled a long, sharp dagger out of the belt where it was hiding at his back. He nodded at me, a smirk on his lips as I gave him a questioning look. I was sure he mouthed the words '_stole it'_, as he turned back around to follow Gandalf who had begun along the paths again.

We hid in the shadows of the paths that we moved quickly along, as light begun to fill the vast cave. I could hear a large booming voice over the other shrieks that sounded out towards us, before I actually saw who the voice belonged to. When I did see the creature, I wished that I hadn't.

The thing was so huge and round; I could only partially see it from where we were from, but the way its body jiggled around made me feel sick. I looked to see who he was yelling at, and realised that it was company! I could have cried out in happiness, but I contained myself and tried to count them. It was nearly impossible though; there were smaller versions of the big bulging creature skirting around the group.

They were poking and prodding at the Dwarves, and it made me so angry. I wanted to help them, but heeding Gandalf's words, I didn't move. I felt Josh tense next to me though, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. The Wizard moved in close to us, whispering so only we could hear.

"We must move closer. Stay as near to me as possible, as the goblins are covering the area in anticipation of the Goblin King's orders." If I wasn't freaking out before, I was now. What orders did this fat, round creature plan on giving the other goblins? What was he going to do to our friends? We crept close to the cave walls, still staying within the shadows.

We came so close to the disgusting creatures that I could smell the odour wafting off of them. It was almost enough for me to be sick. They were so hideous as well; their faces were distorted and misshaped.

I almost missed the trolls after seeing how horrible goblins were.

We were backed against a wall that lay behind the Goblin King, huddled close to Gandalf's side. There was a large wooden platform that connected the ground where we stood to where the Goblin King was now sitting atop a large chair, and where the company were standing.

We were so close, but so far away at the same time. The obnoxious large creature begun singing loudly, receiving an even louder chorus of howls and shrieks from above us.

_Bones will be shattered,  
>Necks will be rung!<br>You'll be beaten and battered,  
>From racks you'll be hung.<br>You will lie down here,  
>and never be found,<br>down in the deep of Goblin Town!_

I was frozen where I stood. They were not only about to be killed, but tortured by these _things_. I looked up at Gandalf. He had his eyes closed and his lips were moving slightly as if he was speaking under his breath. I was about to beg the Wizard to do something, when several things happened at once.

There was an ear-piercing screech from where the company was surrounded, and the Goblin King began to roar orders to kill the company just as Gandalf opened his eyes and uttered two words.

"Arm yourselves." The air became thick with shrieks and howls, and Gandalf jumped abruptly from out of the shadows where we had been hidden. I was about to follow after the Wizard, but suddenly there was a bright light and then I couldn't see anything.

My vision was blurred and I staggered forward in my loss of sight. Blinking against the intensity of the white light that had filled my vision, I could see clearly after a few moments.

There was silence again, and I saw that every single creature that had stood before us was now lying on the wooden-planked platform in front of Gandalf. I looked next to me, seeing that Josh had just gotten his own sight back. Realising that any second the shit was going to hit the fan, I pulled Josh by the arm and we ran towards the Wizard.

Both of us had our weapons drawn, and we reached Gandalf as he was yelling orders to the Dwarves who were only just regaining consciousness.

"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" The Dwarves looked dumbfounded, glancing between Gandalf, Josh and I with bewildered expressions. They quickly begun to move though; yelling, they pushed away the goblins that lay atop them. I didn't have any more time to focus on the Dwarves; goblins had begun to charge for Gandalf, and in effect, Josh and I as well.

The Wizard used his sword and staff to cut down and knock aside the offenders that came at him like ravenous dogs. Again, I felt as though I needed to be sick. I could not only see the impact of steel on flesh, but I could hear it as well. The wails of pain that accompanied each blow made my skin crawl and I fought to bite back the bile rising in my throat.

Everything progressed fast from there, almost in a blur. We quickly moved to the company, who had gathered their weapons and were passing them along to their correct owners. Josh was at my side the entire time, and I was looking in every direction I could to make sure that none of the goblins were aiming for him in particular.

Unfortunately, we must have still been seen as threats, especially after Gandalf's theatrics. A goblin was running towards me to my right, and I almost panicked. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that my little brother was right next to me, and in doing nothing I would get him killed.

The goblin attempted to bring his weapon down on top of my head, but I blocked it with one of the twins, while using the other blade to dig into its stomach. I would never forget that moment; the look of fear on his face and in his eyes, the feel of wielding a weapon as it sliced through skin and muscle and bone, and the absolute horror of taking another living creatures life.

Disgusted with myself, I was only pulled out of the spiralling self-loathing I was feeling by Gandalf's words.

"Follow me. Quick, run!" I had an absurd moment of realisation that the Goblin King had disappeared within the chaos, before Josh and I were running with the company.

We ran in single file across wooden bridges, sprinting as fast as we could away from the shrieks that echoed and bounced off of the walls around us. It took all of a few minutes for the goblins to swarm us again. The Dwarves slashed and stabbed at any creature that got near us, and I tried to avoid doing the same unless I _had_ to.

It was much more often than I liked.

A goblin appeared at my side while we were running, swinging a large axe weapon in our direction, attempting to land a blow to anyone it could. I narrowly avoided the end of its weapon, but sliced its neck open so that it didn't hurt any of the Dwarves running behind me.

I felt absolutely sickened. Adrenalin pulsed through my body, and I guessed that was the only reason I was still able to continue. All I really wanted to do was curl up in a ball in a warm bed and never emerge. I kept slashing at anything that came too close to us, as tears streaked my face and blood dripped from my blades.

The Dwarves in the front of the group managed to get hold of a large wooden pole, and were using it to barrel goblins off the side of the pathway. Goblins continued to jump onto the bridges next to us, giving us but seconds to react and cut them down before we were killed ourselves.

Josh was in front of me, and was luckily able to duck away from blows aimed for him despite being tall and lanky. He struck goblins down with the long dagger he had stolen from Rivendell, whenever the creatures got too close to him.

I began to lose count of how many goblins I had stabbed and sliced and cut, and my arms felt like lead from the physical exertion. The tide of goblins never ended, no matter how fast the company killed them. The Dwarves at the front had again found some wooden object to bowl the goblins into the chasm below us. I realised it was a ladder once they laid it down to use as a bridge to get to another platform. The goblins seemed to be cutting down their own bridges to stop us.

I only just made it over without falling into one of the holes, but it was a close call. We ran for ages longer, and came to a platform that looked as though it had come under more sabotage in the goblins attempts to trap us.

We all stopped, standing upon this wooden plank with nowhere to go. That is, until the plank begun to swing away from the goblins in pursuit of us. It was a blur; I had no idea what was going on, and the next thing I heard was 'jump!' and someone pushed me off of the platform.

I felt as though I fell a few metres, and landed on my back. I was quickly picked up by a blonde Dwarf with a braided moustache, and I felt relieved that he was okay. That feeling was quickly replaced with fear again as we continued to run, Fili close behind.

It felt like there was no end to this. I didn't know how long I could hold out, emotionally and physically. I was having a hard time coming to terms with what I was doing, and I wanted to try and distance myself as far from my actions as I could while we were still fighting for our lives.

Suddenly, the swarm of goblins seemed to disappear. We came to a wooden platform-type bridge that wasn't covered in goblins or damaged in an attempt to trap us. I saw hope in this situation in the exact moment our only hope of escape was extinguished.

We had run about halfway across when there was a great explosion of wood and from the floor of the platform, erupted the form of the enormous Goblin King. Dori and Gloin were at the front of the group, and hastily backtracked behind Gandalf when the creature lumbered towards them.

I was quickly pushed into the middle of the company by Bofur and Bifur, as the Goblin King begun to speak.

"You thought you could escape me!" He bellowed, swinging a large mace down on Gandalf, who only narrowly missed the blow. The creature quickly swung his weapon back across at Gandalf, and the wizard just about fell over through trying to avoid the mace. He was caught by the Dwarves at the front of the group, who were able to steady him back on his feet.

"What are you going to do now, Wizard?" The Goblin cackled, taunting Gandalf. Apparently that was the wrong move to make.

Gandalf used his staff to poke the Goblin King in the eye, and slashed his sword across the creature's enormous stomach. I heaved at the sight of the terrible wound that gave show to layers of fat and muscle beneath the monsters skin. The Goblin cried out in pain, landing heavily on his knees while clutching at his stomach.

Looking at Gandalf with a mix of respect and surprise, he whispered "That would do it," as Gandalf sliced open its large chin that drooped down near its stomach. The Goblin then collapsed onto its stomach, causing the platform we were on the shudder and crack under the weight.

Goblins screamed from all around us, as the wooden boards finally collapsed under the pressure and we fell downwards. The company yelled and cried in fear, and I screamed until there was nothing left. We held onto the platform that was under our feet, holding onto each other as well in an attempt to stop any one of us from falling off of the wood that was plummeting downwards through the chasm.

We crashed into other bridges and pathways and platforms alike, not stopping but instead gathering momentum. The chasm seemed to become smaller, as the platform begun to catch on the cave walls, finally slowing us down until we had almost stopped, and then we dropped to solid ground. I was sprawled in amongst the Dwarves, but quickly rolled off of them onto the rocky floor.

I just about collapsed in relief, and thought it was a miracle that I still had my blades in my hands, and hadn't stabbed myself or any of the company in the process of that fall. The Dwarves began to remove themselves from the rubble and debris that they were amongst, when Bofur spoke.

"Well, that could have been worse!" He said almost cheerfully, and as if the universe wanted to prove him wrong, the body of the obese Goblin King fell through the air and landed atop the Dwarves that remained amongst the pile of wooden scrap.

The Dwarves cried out in pain, and I realised that I couldn't see Josh. I moved around the other side, calling his name and frantically trying to find him amongst the rubble. I was starting to panic, when I found him under some wooden planks, trying to get out from underneath. He hadn't been crushed by the body of the Goblin, and I sighed in relief.

We both realised at the same time that his leg was stuck, however. It was underneath a large wooden pillar that he couldn't move by himself. I sheathed my weapons and tried to get it off of him, but I couldn't lift it high enough for him to move his leg out. All of a sudden, Kili yelled out Gandalf's name, and I glanced upwards to where he was looking.

Above us, hundreds upon hundreds of goblins were swarming down the sides of the chasm towards us.

"There's too many! We can't fight them!" Dwalin yelled, helping Nori from out of the debris.

"Only one thing will save us now; daylight!" Gandalf responded, yelling at the company to move. I was about to yell to one of the Dwarves to help me get Josh out, when Thorin moved beside me and planted his hands underneath half of the wooden pillar. He looked at me and without a hint of anger or rage in his eyes, he spoke.

"We lift on three," he said to me, and I quickly gripped the other side of the pillar. He yelled three, and we both lifted, leaving more than enough room for Josh to slide his leg out from underneath. We both helped Josh to his feet, and quickly began to move after the company who were running behind Gandalf through a tunnel.

We all ran, rapidly working our way through a dark tunnel that Gandalf was leading us through. I couldn't see the faces of the company, but I hoped that everyone was there and was alright. After only several minutes, I quite literally began to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

We ran even faster then, realising that we were almost away from the danger. Gandalf stopped, making sure that we all got out first, and we burst into the light of the sun.

We stopped for only a few seconds before we continued running, making our way down a steep slope dotted with large pine trees. Gandalf continued to encourage us forward, and I realised that the sun was beginning to set. We had been in the mountains an entire day, and my legs began to tire in realisation that it had been a full day since we had eaten or slept.

We then came to a slow, as Gandalf begun to count the company, naming each member as he went along.

"Five, six, seven, eight… Bifur, Bofur, that's ten.. Fili, Kili, that's twelve.. and Bombur, Amelia, Joshua.. That makes fifteen.. Where's Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit?" I gaped at Gandalf, and looked all around me. There was the whole company, except for Bilbo.

For the hundredth time today, I felt like I was going to be sick. Bilbo must be back in the mountains, taken by the goblins. I couldn't even think about what they would do to him. He must be terrified, and I started to tear up at the thought of him being in those horrible caves alone.

"Curse the Halfling! Now he's lost?" Dwalin yelled.

"I thought he was with Dori!" exclaimed Gloin, to which Dori protested.

"Don't blame me!"

"But where did you last see him?" Gandalf pleaded to the company, and Nori replied.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us." Maybe he had managed to escape, I prayed. Maybe he was able to get away from the goblins. Even if he did though, he was still stuck in the maze of caves and tunnels in the mountain.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!" The Dwarves looked around at each other, before Thorin spoke up.

"I'll tell you what happened.. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it. He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our Hobbit again; he is long gone."

I couldn't believe that after everything, Thorin was still discrediting Bilbo. The Hobbit had willingly given up all of the things he had felt comfortable with to help the Dwarves, and it still wasn't enough for Thorin. I had opened my mouth to say something, but a small voice from behind me spoke first.

"No, he isn't." I spun around to see the blonde haired Hobbit standing rather awkwardly near a tree close to us. I had no idea when he got there, but I was overcome by relief and happiness to see him alive and okay. Most of the company mirrored my thoughts by shouting in delight, especially Gandalf.

"Bilbo Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Bilbo moved into the presence of the company, and put a hand on Balin's shoulder, who looked overwhelmed with relief at seeing the hobbit.

Kili, Fili and Dwalin began to question Bilbo, wondering how he had gotten past the goblins and out of the mountain. I noticed him become nervous and a bit fidgety, laughing the questions off and not answering. I began to wonder; how did he find his way out of the tunnels?

"Well, why does it matter? He's back!" Gandalf exclaimed, looking at Bilbo suspiciously. Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, Thorin again decided to speak.

"It matters, and I want to know. Why did you come back?" Thorin's tone of voice had changed; it wasn't accusing or angry, but he sounded truly curious. Bilbo just looked at Thorin, and his whole demeanour changed before my eyes. He stood up a little straighter, and found his voice which was filled with a confidence I hadn't heard before.

"Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong; that's home. And that's why I came back, because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back if I can."

I could have kissed him for finally standing up to Thorin, and for being so brave. Thorin nodded his head in what looked like respect for the Hobbit; it was almost like I could feel the change in the air. It felt as though Thorin had finally seen the loyalty that Bilbo had been showing, and he had finally accepted him as one of the company.

I saw each of the Dwarves look at Bilbo with expressions of pride, respect and happiness. Even Dwalin looked at him with a hint of a smile on his face. Bilbo was an incredible being, and I swelled in pride at his courage. The Dwarf-King then turned to Josh and I, his eyes free of the anger that I had seen as an inherit part of Thorin, as his arms or legs were.

"And you two. Why did you come back, even when I left you behind?" I recognised that he was taking sole responsibility for abandoning us, but I didn't know how to sufficiently sum up all of my thoughts and emotions and feelings about why we came back to help them. Luckily, Josh answered for both of us.

"Thorin, our home was taken away from us, just like yours was. You have lost loved ones and we have as well. There is more in common between us than you know. Amelia and I want to help you because what you haven't realised, is that you have become not only our friends, but.. You've become something like a family in the time that we have known you." I beamed at my brother in pride; I couldn't have said it more simply or beautifully if I had tried.

Thorin nodded at Josh. He was about to say something to us, but before he managed to get even a word out, a howl sounded from the mountain above us. Déjà vu washed over me in remembrance of when we were in the forest with Radagast, and my blood ran cold.

"Out of the frying pan," Thorin muttered, to which Gandalf finished, fear filling his voice.

"…and into the fire."

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><p><strong>I hope everyone is having a fantastic week! Thank you to <strong>_**Perminatly Lost In Thought **_**for your lovely review, and to my new followers! You guys are so wonderful, and I would love to hear from you :)**


	11. A New Hope

"Run! Run!" Gandalf yelled. He didn't need to repeat himself a third time; each and every one of us bolted down the sloping mountain. Like it had happened that day across the plateaus, the howling of the Wargs came closer with each second.

It was enough for me to run faster. Josh was sprinting, using the slope to move even quicker down the hillside. The sunlight had quickly dissipated, only leaving the light of the moon to guide us through trees and over rocks.

More than once I stumbled, and I would have fallen if it wasn't for a particular Dwarf who was at my side to steady me each time. I didn't have time to see who it was, though I had a strong feeling I knew exactly who it was. Stealing a glance backwards, I realised with utter horror that three Wargs had reached us.

One attempted to run Nori down, but he quickly struck the beast, either knocking it unconscious or killing it. Another jumped at Thorin just as I saw the third pouncing through the air and landing in the midst of the group, most of which were continuing to run.

The Warg turned around, and found Bilbo standing there with his sword held lamely in front of him. I tried to yell, but it was too late; the Warg jumped at him, growling through its bared teeth. I thought that it had gotten Bilbo, but I quickly saw the monster collapse with the sword in its head.

Bilbo just stood there, a shocked look plastered on his face as he stared at the crumpled body of the Warg, specifically at the sword that was still protruding from its head. I yelled, trying to break him out of his trance.

"Come on Bilbo!" I cried out to him; he snapped his head towards me, and quickly moved to grab his sword. I began to run and followed the rest of the company, expecting Bilbo to follow behind.

The Dwarves in front of me slowed for some reason, and I was about to cry out until that I saw that we couldn't go on. We were standing atop a large rocky ledge where there literally wasn't any more mountain to run on. I looked over the edge and instantly regretted it; we were hundreds of metres above the ground.

We were cornered, again. Though this time, there wasn't going to be any secret escape, and there weren't going to be any Elves to save us. This was it. I was going to die on some godforsaken mountain as soon as we thought we had gotten ourselves out of danger. I was absolutely and completely terrified.

I searched for anything, any way out of this, when the obvious answer came again in the form of Gandalf.

"Up into the trees, climb! Quickly, each of you!"

Duh! I ran to the closest pine tree, and swiftly jumped into the nearest branch. Josh was close behind, but I had to help pull him up so that he was firmly clinging to the thick branch, before we started climbing our way further upwards. Despite the Dwarves size and their apparent lack of tree-climbing skills, each of them scrambled into the trees through one technique or another; I saw Nori jump atop Dwalin's head and into the trees, and Gloin almost propelled Ori through the air with his strength.

I guessed running for your life gave you the ability to do things you wouldn't be able to do in normal circumstances.

My blood ran cold when I realised that Bilbo was the only one not in the trees. He was running towards us, and the Wargs were almost at his heels. The breath caught in my throat in seeing him race as fast as his legs would allow, but he quickly jumped up to a branch in the tree closest to him.

Kili was there with a hand outstretched, and pulled him up further through the tree. They only had seconds to spare when the creature jumped, trying to reach Bilbo and Kili. The two were only half a metre away from the snapping jaws of the Warg before they climbed to a higher branch.

Josh and I moved even further in the trees when we realised that dozens more Wargs appeared and were circling the base of the pines. It took them but moments to figure out a way to try and force us out of the trees; they jumped at the branches, ripping them clean off of the trunks with their sheer body strength. I trembled in fear; this plan had only prolonged our messy fates.

We climbed higher still, reaching the other Dwarves that were standing upon the branches closest to the top, but only those that could hold their weight. Ori, Bofur, Dori and Bifur were amongst us, but I could see the others in the trees next to us.

Suddenly, the attack of the Wargs below stopped, and they turned to face the area from which we had run. I looked through the pine needles in an attempt to see what they were looking at. Still unable to perceive what had gotten their attention, I heard Thorin in the tree next to us speak.

"No.. It cannot be.." The way he uttered those few words had me frozen in fear. Thorin sounded almost frightened himself; I couldn't understand what could make him scared, but I finally glimpsed what he was looking at.

There was a creature on top of a large Warg, one which was different to the others. The other wolf-like animals had dark brown and black fur, but this one was literally as white as snow. The thing that sat atop it made me feel as though fear was tightening the hold on my lungs, and I was finding it hard to breathe.

It looked like those Orc creatures we had encountered before, but it was much larger and a lighter colour as well; it was paler… It was pale. Memories rushed into my head from the night Balin had explained to us what had happened to Thorin, himself and Dwalin when they were trying to take back Moria. He had told us about a pale orc that had killed Thorin's grandfather in battle.

This was the monster that had caused Thorin so much pain. This was the monster that Thorin thought was dead up until now. The Pale Orc was looking at the Dwarf-King with an almost smug, superior expression. My heart went out to the leader of our company, but my blood boiled in rage.

Azog, I think I remember his name being, said something in a foreign language that I couldn't understand. Thorin must have known what it meant, because I saw from the back of the Dwarf that his shoulders tensed even further. It then roared something else in a foreign language as he swung a large mace above his head.

We were in even more trouble then. The Wargs seemed to have obeyed some order, as they rushed back around the trees. Instead of aiming for branches this time, they were jumping upon and throwing themselves directly at the trunks.

I caught the gaze of Fili just as his tree begun to break at the roots from the pressure of the Wargs attacks; he looked utterly horrified, as his tree fell towards us.

It almost happened in slow motion. The tree fell, the roots bowing under the pressure. It collided with the tree that I was currently clinging for life to, when Fili, Kili, Thorin, Dwalin, Nori, Bilbo and Balin jumped from theirs to ours.

I grasped onto Balin with a free hand, steadying him on the branch that I was standing atop. It took only a few seconds for the Wargs to move their efforts onto our tree, and we began to rock backwards. I heard a number of deafening creaks and cracks, until there was a large snap and our tree was now falling into the one next to us that the rest of the company were on.

We all jumped as far and as quickly as we could, landing onto other branches, before the tree we were on also collapsed under the weight of the company and the pressure of the Wargs attacks. We braced ourselves and jumped into another pine, as the tree we were just in fell off the side of the cliff.

I managed to steady myself in the new tree, thoughts racing through my mind as fast as my heart was beating. Looking around us, I realised we were all out of trees. That meant that we were also out of luck, and out of time.

I looked at Josh, who was standing on the branch next to me. He looked absolutely frightened; his face was as pale as a sheet and his hands were shaking as he attempted to hold onto a branch just above us.

I reached up and grabbed one of his hands, holding it in between mine and squeezing. I tried to tell him just how sorry I was through my eyes, and radiated love through my grip on his hand. Bus expression chances, and I knew he understood what I was trying to say. There wasn't even a trace of anger or blame in his eyes, though I felt like there should be.

Protecting him was supposed to be my first priority, and I had failed. Even in attempting to help and protect our friends in the company, I had failed that too. Now we were all stuck here, waiting for our death to come at the hand of this orc and his fucking mutts.

I had well and truly stuffed up any chance I had to help any of them. It had all been in vain.

Suddenly, an orange ball of light flew past us and down onto the ground at the feet of the snarling wolves. I didn't even look to see who threw it, because the grass had burst out into flames; the Wargs snapped and yelped in anger.

"Fili!" I heard Gandalf yell from above us, and looking up, I saw balls of orange were being passed between the Dwarves. They were lighting the pine cones! They lit dozens upon dozens, casting them straight down at the Wargs as soon as the flames were too much to hold.

I saw many of them hit the Wargs, quickly igniting their dark fur; the howls of pain that came from them were truly horrifying. I tried to push away the terrible things I was feeling to the back of my mind. I couldn't worry about it now, I had to focus.

The Dwarves in the tree above and below me yelled and cheered in victory at fending off the Wargs, who were now helpless and unable to get to us without catching themselves on fire. A small smile had begun to play at my lips just as I felt the world tip from underneath me.

I glanced at the trunk of the tree, and realised that the fire was moving closer to the pine tree we were currently clinging to. All of the sudden, the roots gave way and the tree was falling off the edge of the cliff.

We all screamed in horror, expecting to fall all the way down to our deaths, but we didn't. The tree had stopped, hanging over the edge at a precarious ninety degree angle. Josh and I clung on for life to the thick branch. I heard yells around me, cries for help, shouts filled with fear, but what could I do?

I hoisted myself up to lie on the tree trunk, pulling Josh to a position where he was atop the branch instead of dangling from it. We both huddled there, looking at each other with fear in our eyes. Tears begun to brim my eyes, as I realised this was the last time I would spend with Josh. This was the last moment with my baby brother, who I had looked after since I was just a child myself; the brother who had been the one to protect me instead of the other way around; the brother who I would have given up anything for.

"I love you Josh, I always will," I whispered to him, my vision blurry with tears.

"I love you too Amelia. Thank you." It was only a few words, but it conveyed so much in them and I understood exactly what he meant.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I saw a movement from next to me, closer to the base of the tree. It was Thorin; he stood up atop the trunk, sword in hand and shield in the other. He was looking across the ledge to where I assumed the terrifying Orc was.

Oh, _fuck_.

Thorin began to move towards a now visible Azog, picking up speed until he was running. I was frozen in fear. He was going to get himself killed and there was nothing anyone could do. I heard the cries of the Dwarves around me just as I saw Thorin knocked to the ground from the impact of the white Warg that had jumped at him.

I looked on in horror. What could we do? He was going to die. Thorin picked himself up off of the ground, just as the Warg turned around and the Pale Orc swung his mace towards him. The weapon hit Thorin straight in the chest, collecting him and throwing him to the ground once more.

Hearing Fili and Kili from behind me broke my heart. They cried out for their Uncle, their voices cracking as they did so. I felt absolutely helpless as the Warg picked Thorin up in between its jaws and threw him to a rock nearby.

I heard the impact, even as far away as I was. My view of where Thorin was lying was suddenly blocked by a small figure standing up on the tree trunk in front of me.

"Bilbo, what are you doing!" I cried, seeing that he held his sword in his hand. He looked towards me quickly, and answered in almost a whisper.

"We must help him." And with that, Bilbo ran towards where Thorin lay. The blood pounded in my ears and my chest felt as though it was going to explode. We couldn't just leave them out there to be slaughtered. We had to help Thorin, and now Bilbo was out there in the middle of the horrifying mess too. I would be damned if I were to give up on them.

I looked to Josh beside me once more, and he nodded. The fear was gone and determination replaced it.

"We need to help Bilbo," he said to me, and that was it. Both of us stood as quickly as we could without losing our balance. I ran down the trunk, towards where Bilbo was already close to the King. Glancing behind me, I saw Josh take his bow from his back and notch an arrow.

Quickly looking forwards again, I faltered slightly when I saw what Bilbo had just done. He had tackled a large orc that had a sword hovering over Thorin's neck seconds earlier. I sprinted as fast as I could in seeing Bilbo and the orc tumble to the ground.

He was going to die if I didn't make it.

And I didn't make it in time.

I thought that Bilbo was all but done for, until I saw him stab his sword through the chest of the creature. It stumbled backwards, and the hobbit pushed it over and continued to stab the thing as it screeched and fought on the ground. I reached them just as it stopped moving.

Standing in front of Thorin, my blades were now unsheathed. Looking at the Pale Orc in front of us atop his Warg, I felt terrified. Tendrils of fear slithered through my body and I froze as the thing moved closer to us. His expression was that of absolute fury and rage like I had never seen before.

I felt Bilbo next to me then, and we stood side by side, protecting the unmoving body of Thorin from behind us. At that moment though, an arrow shot through the air and hit Azog in the shoulder. Looking in absolute surprise, I saw Josh near the tree trunk with another arrow notched, as Fili, Kili and Dwalin ran across the field towards us.

They were yelling in what must have been Khazdul, and then they attacked. The Pale Orc had been about to attack us, even more so after the arrow struck his shoulder. It was Dwalin who brought his Warhammer down towards the white Wargs head, just as the creature realised more of the company were fighting back.

I saw Fili and Kili strike other Wargs with their swords, and Josh had moved around the side of the ledge. He was behind the flames that still burned to shoot arrows into the Wargs that were not obscured from view by the Dwarves.

A Warg leapt towards us, and even before I could react, Bilbo begun to swing his sword at its face. They moved away, still fighting, while I still stood by Thorin. Making sure that I was safe for at least a few seconds, I turned around to check for Thorin's pulse.

"You better stay alive you idiot," I whispered to him, before turning back. He had a pulse and it was only weak, but I didn't know what else to do. The others were still fighting. I saw Josh still trying to shoot arrows, only some hitting their marks, when a Warg jumped towards him.

I screamed, preparing to run over to my brother who had frozen in shock, when a dagger flew through the air and lodged itself in the skull of the beast. I looked to who I knew the dagger would have come from. Fili was a few metres away, nodding at Josh before he continued his attack on another Warg.

I had but a few seconds to be relieved, when I realised Bilbo had fallen to the ground, and a Warg was about to strike him. The jaws of the monster were about to clamp down on him, when something strange happened.

The wind picked up, blowing the flames around us. I tried to move the hair from my face, and when I did, I gasped in shock. There was a large shape above us, blowing the flames towards the Wargs who quickly caught on fire and ran back through the forest.

Another large shape swooped down and collected one of the slower Wargs that had an orc atop its back, before swiftly throwing them over the side of the cliff. I gaped at the shadowy figures above our heads, as it suddenly registered in my mind what they were.

They were eagles. Giant, enormous eagles with wings the width of a bus. They were swooping down and collecting the Wargs, throwing them off of the cliffs with ease. I saw one swoop down towards me, but I dropped to the ground in an attempt to get away.

I realised too late that the eagle had picked up Thorin instead. I looked up at the bird that was flying away with the King in its claws, shocked and horrified that after all of that, we were just going to be killed by these bloody _birds_.

I looked to the ground below me on the rock where Thorin was lying a few seconds before, and saw a pool of blood and his wooden shield. I gagged at the sight of so much blood, but I sheathed one of my weapons and quickly picked up his shield.

Looking about me, I saw that the rest of the company that had been fighting were gone. They had literally disappeared, and my stomach filled with such an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty and dread in being alone. I only had a second of that feeling before another eagle swooped down, and before I could duck or run, it grabbed me within its claws.

I screamed until my chest felt like it was about to explode, as it flew away and then proceeded to drop me. I was free falling through the air to my death, my eyes scrunched closed when I felt an impact that was much too soft to be the ground.

I opened one of my eyes, wondering if maybe I had died. I quickly realised that I was quite wrong. I was atop a large feathery body, flying through the air hundreds and hundreds of metres above the ground.

_Yep, because that was so much better._

I grasped onto the feathers of the large eagle, my blade and Thorin's shield still in hand. I carefully sheathed the weapon while clinging on with my other hand. I didn't want to look around again in fear of just how high I was, but I needed to know where the others were.

It was night now; the moon shone down behind clouds that filled the sky. Glancing around as much as I could without looking down, I saw a number of other eagles. There looked to be a dozen or so, and I could see figures in the claws and on the backs of the birds. I couldn't tell who was who, but it looked as though everyone was there.

They were okay. I was okay. I breathed a sigh of relief, closing my eyes tightly shut in the process. I didn't want to look around again, and I didn't want to move.

I couldn't believe I was on top of an eagle. A real eagle, that was larger than any type of bird I had ever seen or heard about in my life. I was shocked, really, though I should be getting used to this. The amount of times I had seen crazy, weird or downright unbelievable things in the past few months was becoming a common occurrence. It was just inevitable that there would be more things that I simply wouldn't have believed existed while I was back in our world.

Grasping tightly onto the feathers as the wind blew past me, I huddled into the back of the eagle. Now that I was out of danger for the moment, I had a chance to think over the past few days.

I had completely lost track of time in travelling through the mountains and when we were fighting the goblins, and then the orcs and Wargs. It was mostly a blur of events that didn't fit into a timeframe, almost like it was a dream I was recalling I had. I almost wished that I didn't try to recall the memories.

My stomach heaved at remembering that I had killed so many goblins. I couldn't even remember how many it was, and that made it all the more horrendous. They weren't human, but did that matter? I was a murderer. I had spilled someone else's blood.

My mind tried to reason that they were only goblins, and that they were going to kill not only me, but my friends and family. The rest of me didn't see it that way. In my heart, I felt like I had crossed a line that I couldn't come back from. I had done something so irreparable and so final, and my chest started to constrict in realising this.

Even though I was fiercely protective of Josh and would do anything to keep him from harm, I felt like this was something that I was going to have to live with for the rest of my life.

I had protected him though, and he was alive. If I hadn't had killed some of those goblins, then it could have been Josh that was down in those tunnels, bleeding and dead. Instead it was a bunch of creatures that had kidnapped my friends and tried to kill us.

No matter how I tried to justify it though, I still couldn't stop the feeling that was gnawing in my chest, like something was ripping at me from the inside.

Did I regret what I did though? I guessed I didn't in the way that I had defended Josh and helped my friends, but I did know that this wasn't something I was going to accept so easily. I had just taken the lives of so many living beings and despite what they were, I was not going to be able to forgive myself for what I had done.

Tears fell down my cheeks through my closed eyes, and I tried in vain not to sob. Obviously it didn't work, and after a few minutes I had worked myself into an incredibly intense panic attack and was finding it hard to breathe.

I tried to move closer against the eagle to try and soothe myself. I had always loved animals; they had a weird habit of being able to calm me down or cheer me up, regardless of if it was someone else's pet cat, or a horse or a frog.

A tiny part of me began to feel proud that I had managed to help, even though it wasn't a significant amount. Those thoughts were quickly squashed by my guilt though, and I tried to focus on the eagle below me.

It took me a long time, hours even, but I managed to calm down enough to take normal breaths without sobbing or hiccupping. I began to think about the faces of those in the company, and that calmed me down further so that I had finally stopped crying.

My friends were okay, that's all that mattered. Bilbo was fine, Ori was fine, Bofur, Fili… They were safe and that's all I should be worrying about, instead of what I had done in that mountain. The ones who had grown to be my family were safe.

In thinking about the company, I suddenly remembered Thorin. He was barely breathing the last time I had seen him, and I opened my eyes in an attempt to find where he was. I saw that there was some light beginning to glow over the horizon.

I couldn't see where Thorin was, and it made me feel sick. I remembered the pool of blood that had been left from where he had lain, and I hoped that he was still alive. I prayed and prayed that he was still alive.

He wasn't my favourite person in the world, and I didn't agree with him most of the time, _and_ he had abandoned us, but there had been a shift in his attitude when Bilbo and Josh had explained why we came back. He was also Kili and Fili's uncle, and I didn't want him to die. Despite his flaws, he didn't deserve it at all.

The rays of morning sunlight were glowing over the horizon now, filling the land with a soft orange light. I risked a look over the shoulder of the eagle, and even though it scared me how high we were; it was beautiful. Utterly extravagant. I could see rivers winding through the green valleys, and the mountains surrounding them stood tall and strong.

I had never seen such an amazing sight in my life.

The eagle I was on began to descend slowly, and I could see a number of eagles in front of us circling a large rocky ledge. I saw the first descend and gently drop a motionless body onto the ledge. It was Thorin. My heart started to pound in my chest again, so loud that I could almost hear it.

Each eagle dropped the Dwarves from their claws, or landed so that they could jump off of the backs of them. Finally the eagle I was on landed and I ran my hand across its beautiful back in thanks before I uncoordinatedly jumped down.

I stumbled, but quickly collected myself as I ran over to join the rest of the company who were atop the rock and crowding around Thorin. I saw Gandalf moving his hand across the Dwarf's chest, and it seemed as though he was muttering something under his breath again.

At first I was unsure of what he was doing, but I then realised how stupid I was. Gandalf was a wizard; of course he had a few tricks up his sleeve, like we had seen in the mountain. Suddenly, Thorin's eyes snapped open and he breathed in deeply, looking around with an almost bewildered look on his face.

"Where… Where is the Halfling.. Where are.. the humans.." He managed to make out, as Dwalin, Kili and Fili helped him to his feet. He still looked quite unsteady as he rose, leaning heavily on the others.

"They are quite alright," Gandalf replied, sounding as though he was extremely relieved that that was the case. Thorin shoved Dwalin and Kili away, looking around for someone.

I didn't quite realise he was looking for Josh, Bilbo and I though.

I took a few steps towards Josh, who was already standing with Bilbo. I quickly gave him a once over to make sure he was okay. Noticing me, and gave me a reassuring smile and looked back to Thorin who moved towards us.

"You," he muttered, looking straight at Bilbo. Thorin looked almost angry, and then he moved his eyes to Josh and I.

"And you two.. What were you doing? You almost got yourselves killed!" I didn't even know what to say. He was glaring at us, and I didn't understand why he was getting angry. We had just tried to save his life?

He moved towards Bilbo, who in turn took a few steps backwards. The Hobbit looked as though he was trying to find a way to escape.

"Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? That you had no place amongst us?" With each word Thorin spoke, Bilbo looked sadder and sadder. His eyes were downcast, and his expression showed such a degree of hurt that it broke my heart.

I couldn't believe that he was saying this to Bilbo, the one who had gone in, by himself, to save Thorin from being beheaded. Bilbo literally saved his life, and Thorin was saying that he still wasn't a part of the company. I was so in shock that I couldn't even speak to defend the hobbit.

Then the unexpected happened.

"I have never been so wrong, in all my life," Thorin spoke with such happiness and relief. He encircled Bilbo in a hug, as the company cheered. After my initial shock at witnessing this, I was filled with happiness myself.

It was such a beautiful moment. Finally, Thorin was accepting Bilbo. It had taken almost two months, but he finally saw the hobbit on the same level as himself. Bilbo himself looked stunned, but his expression melted into sheer relief and he smiled.

Thorin let the Hobbit go, and as if I was surprised already, I heard the Dwarf apologise.

"I am sorry I doubted you," he said, looking down at the Hobbit with a new found look of respect on his face. Bilbo just shrugged.

"I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero. I'm not even a burglar." He gave Gandalf a small, knowing smile and the company laughed heartily at him. Even Thorin smiled. He _actually_ smiled, with a spark of joy in his eyes.

He turned to Josh and I, who had moved back from the scene unfolding in front of us. Thorin looked at us, and I felt as though I actually saw guilt in his eyes.

"Miss Amelia, Master Joshua. From the beginning, I did not believe that you would be of any use to us and would only slow us down. Even when you saved my nephews life, and both of you worked hard to learn how to fight and live amongst us, I still abandoned you."

"Even my kin could see how valuable you both have been, yet I refused to see. I am sorry; you did not deserve the treatment that I have given you."

Thorin had not only apologised to us and admitted that he was wrong, but he also bowed deeply at us both. I could see the smiles of the company behind us, especially Fili. His grin was wider than anyone's.

When he stood upright once more, I felt as though I needed to say something back. I just hoped I didn't stuff it up.

"I understand why you didn't trust us Thorin. It's not like we have given you any reason to, I mean you still barely know us. But.. Josh and I have never felt as at home as we do here. Despite some misunderstandings, we feel like we belong with the company, and we haven't felt as though we have belonged anywhere in so long."

I almost forgot about the shield that I was still holding in my hand. He took it gently in his own when I offered it back to its rightful owner. Smiling warmly at me, he nodded as he placed a hand on my shoulder. It was an incredible moment.

I didn't feel like baggage anymore. I didn't feel like a burden, or even just a companion to these people.

Now, for the first time in many years, I truly felt as though I finally belonged to a family.

Thorin glanced over my shoulder briefly, but what caught his eye changed his expression again. While he still looked happy, his eyes showed longing beyond anything I had ever witnessed. I wondered what could cause him to react like that, when I turned around myself.

There, in the distance, was a mountain that stretched higher upwards than any other mountain I could see. The company moved forward, seeing what we were now looking at. Bilbo stood beside Thorin, looking on in awe. It was spectacular.

It could only be one thing.

I could hear near silent gasps from the Dwarves. I imagined that they had the same look of longing and happiness on their faces as Thorin.

"Is that… Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo piped up from next to Thorin.

"Erebor," Gandalf replied, almost in wonder himself, "The Lonely Mountain, the last of the great Dwarf Kingdoms of Middle Earth."

"Our home," Thorin sighed, pride filling his voice. The smile never left his face, and his deep blue eyes continued to twinkle. He looked much younger, and I could almost see some of the weight lifting from his shoulders.

I felt a new-found swell of affection towards this man. He had gone through so much in his long life; he had faced death countless times over, had lost his own home and had lost some of his closest family. Yet he was standing here with such pure happiness written on his face as plain as day, in simply looking at his home from a distance.

It made me wonder if you could truly feel happiness in a place that wasn't your original home. From what I could tell, Thorin had never been happy in the lands they made for themselves after the dragon took Erebor.

This place wasn't my home world and I had come here by force; so was it truly my home?

I could have kicked myself for being so stupid. It wasn't about where I came from that mattered. What truly mattered were the people I felt happiest with, and the place that felt like home. Even in the short time I had been here, this felt more like home than our world ever had after our mum died.

I looked to my left to see Josh, Thorin and Bilbo gazing over at the Lonely Mountain in wonder. My brother, my new leader and my best friend. As if on cue, I felt a presence at my side and the contact of a shoulder brushing against mine.

Looking to my right, I saw Fili also gazing at the home that he had never known. His expression was one of absolute joy, and I saw a small amount of moisture build in his blue eyes. I took his hand in my own and squeezed lightly; he looked at me with an expression matching Thorin's. I could finally see the resemblance between the two in that moment.

I smiled at him before looking back at Erebor. We were so far, but we were so close.

"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain!" Oin called from behind us, as we watched the tiny creature fly through the air.

"That my dear Oin," Gandalf begun, "is a Thrush!" Bilbo looked at Thorin, and the King beneath the Mountain grinned at the hobbit.

"We will take it as a sign. A good omen."

"You're right! I do believe the worst is behind us," Bilbo stated with a contented sigh.

For the first time in a long while, I felt at peace. I forgot about everything that had happened to me in the past few days, the past few months and even throughout my life.

I looked at the future I was about to walk into, and it was beautiful. I ignored the warning bells ringing in the back of mind to hold onto the feeling of content that I was encircled in.

I was with my family, and anything we faced from now on, we faced together.

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><p><strong>Thank you to my new reviewers, Finduilas88, Shadowsammy and FleurSuoh! You guys are wonderful, and your reviews make my heart melt :D Hello to my new followers as well! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend :)<strong>

**From now on, I am going to be using the book and the movies as inspiration for certain events and plots, instead of solely the movies. Hopefully it keeps it interesting!**

**As always, I would love to hear from you beautiful people! Please review or feel free to PM me anytime :D**


	12. Consequences and Traditions

**I know that it says in the description, but just a warning. This chapter is a little bit graphic in the way of gore, but it isn't too bad! Just a heads up.**

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><p>All too soon, we had to move again. Thorin's happiness was replaced by a nervousness that was due to Azog's attack. He knew the rage that stormed inside the Pale Orc, and he knew that his old enemy would continue to hunt us down until he found us.<p>

Thorin was still quite weak from the attack despite him being seemingly healed by Gandalf's magic. We walked slowly down from the mountain edge and into the valley below; Fili, Kili and Dwalin were close by his side the entire time, though Thorin shrugged off any attempt of their help.

I thought it was weird that we hadn't stopped though, especially in Thorin's state. I asked Ori why this was and he answered quietly.

"Dwarves are proud and stubborn. Even when sick or injured, a Dwarf will continue on until he is to the point of collapse." Ori frowned in obvious dislike at this piece of information, and I felt the same way. I didn't think that Thorin should be sacrificing his health for his ego.

Still we continued for most of the day. I was absolutely starving though. My stomach was cramping badly from lack of food and my whole body ached. It was late afternoon when we stumbled across a large fruit tree. I was overjoyed that despite the somewhat cooler weather, there were still dozens of fruit ripening in the branches.

I had no idea what type of fruit it was, but I basically sprinted to the tree as soon as I saw it. The rest of the company sighed slightly in the appearance of food, but from what I heard, they were still grumbling about the lack of fresh game.

Motivated by my empty stomach, I quickly climbed the tree and ate one of the red and purple coloured fruits. It was soft and delicious and I ate three more before I began to drop as many as I could reach to the company below me.

Kili decided to climb the tree to help me and, though rather uncoordinated, he managed to reach the branch I was on. We continued for a while before he spoke.

"I am going to hunt some rabbit once we set up camp, but this fruit will have to do in the meantime," he sighed, taking a bite from the piece of fruit in his hand.

"Beggars can't be choosers," I teased, grinning at the brunette dwarf. He laughed his agreement, before turning to me in all seriousness.

"It is good that you are with the company again, Miss Amelia. You and your brother were missed." He smiled gingerly at me until I replied.

"Oh, so why is it that you left us behind with the Elves?" I smirked, sending a wink in his direction. He took the bait despite my playful attitude, spitting his mouthful of food everywhere before replying.

"What? No! Miss Amelia, we never wanted to leave you behind! We tried to reason with Uncle, and Fili argued and argued but Thorin refused. We tried.." I instantly regretted teasing him after his extremely guilt-ridden reaction.

"Kili!" I laughed, trying to lighten the situation, "I was only joking, calm down. It hurt, but I understand why Thorin did it. It worked out well though, right?" He smiled sheepishly at me, before I saw a glint in his eyes that I recognised too well. I had often seen it just before he and Fili were about to get up to no good.

"Fili seemed awfully angry with Thorin about leaving you and Master Joshua behind. Do you have any idea why that is?" He questioned innocently. I just glared at him, knowing that either way I answered, he had me trapped.

"No," I deadpanned, passing some more fruit down to Josh and Bombur. He pressed on, beginning to chuckle to himself.

"Oh Amelia! Do you not see it? It is all too obvious." He waited for my reaction, obviously wanting me to say aloud what I knew he was thinking.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I shot, before throwing a softer piece of fruit at his annoying head. He almost fell out of the tree when it hit his temple, and he gaped at me in a look of shock and amusement. I thought he was going to throw one back, but he clutched his stomach as he began to roar in laughter.

"No wonder my brother has taken a liking to you!" He continued to laugh as he climbed back through the branches to the ground. I saw Fili look at his brother with a questioning expression, before he glanced up towards where I was sitting.

Ugh, so much for no distractions. Now that Kili had an idea about his brother's feelings, it was going to become obvious to him that I had also taken a liking to Fili. I didn't really know how far my feelings for him extended, because I had tried to play it down and ignore it as much as I could.

I remembered the way he reassured me after my fight with Thorin in Rivendell, and how he listened to me whenever I was feeling worried about Josh. I also remembered the abandonment I had felt when they left us in Rivendell, and how thinking about Fili leaving hurt the most.

Apparently my feelings had grown despite my attempts at trying to compress them. I sighed, realising that this Dwarf meant more to me than I had wanted, and I couldn't do anything about it. He had crawled under my skin and made me feel safe and nervous and happy all at once. I suddenly remembered him telling us all that time ago that he was 82 years old.

I had feelings for a man- no, D_warf_- that was four times my age. Freaking _fantastic_.

I decided to come down from the tree, seeing as there was enough fruit to give us at least some energy until Kili managed to catch some rabbit.

We moved further into the trees in an attempt to conceal ourselves from anything that lurked in the forest. The main concern of the Dwarves were the Orcs of course, but according to Gandalf, there were animals and bandits that were in the area. Yep, actual bandits. I was starting to feel like I was in some country and western movie.

Dwalin and Bofur took watch and began to look around the area while we set up camp. Thorin was adamant against lighting a fire, but he relented when Kili came back with several rabbits in his hands. They lit a small fire and began to skin the rabbits to cook.

I gagged and needed to excuse myself from the area while they did their job. Seeing them using their knives against flesh reminded me of being in the Goblin's tunnels and I wanted to keep those memories and the thoughts that came with them far from my mind.

The feeling that I had of happiness at witnessing the Dwarves lay their eyes on Erebor again was quickly diminishing though. It's not that I wasn't still relieved and overjoyed at being with the company again, but I was becoming nervous and anxious.

I made a lame excuse about finding some water to bring back from the river that was close by and started through the trees. With the two bowls I had grabbed from my rucksack in my hands, I was guided by the dwindling sunlight that shone through the trees.

We had been following the river that wound through the valley during the day, and we hadn't camped too far away so I was certain I knew the way there and back.

The events of the last few days were continually creeping their way back into my head and my heart. It was getting hard to keep them at bay, and I felt like I might snap again. I hated how guilty I felt about having to kill someone, but I also hated that I was beating myself up over it when I didn't have a choice in what I did.

I sighed, knowing that justifying my actions wasn't going to make myself feel better. Finally coming to the stream, I knelt down at the edge. I realised that I hadn't bathed in days, and especially after everything all I wanted to do was scrub myself spotless. Obviously unable to do this without getting completely naked and risking someone seeing me, I just washed my face instead.

The water felt incredible against my skin. I was covered in sweat and dirt and blood, but I washed as much as I could from the parts of my body that weren't covered by clothes. Feeling the water running through my fingers calmed me down slightly and kept the negative thoughts away.

I was so focused on the water and the way it was relaxing me that I didn't even hear the footsteps of someone approaching behind me until it was too late.

A hand touched my shoulder and I flipped out. I whacked the arm away as I turned around quickly, though I lost my balance from the movement and fell backwards into the water. Luckily for me, the water was only shallow, but I was drenched.

"What the hell!" I glared daggers into the Dwarf who was now attempting to stop himself from laughing.

"Miss Amelia, I'm so sorry.." Obviously Fili wasn't actually sorry, as he had to work hard to speak in between his chuckles.

Without saying a word, I held out my hand to him so that he could help me out of the water. He didn't suspect a thing and he took my hand without hesitation; I then stood slightly and I pulled hard on his grip. With my advantage being his ignorance, he had no time to stop himself when he overbalanced and fell into the water next to me.

Then I did laugh. He had fallen face first and become completely saturated in the process. He lifted himself out of the shallow water with his arms and turned to face me, his hair, moustache and beard dripping with water. I swear he looked like a drowned cat. Though not a housecat, but more like a lion or something more beautiful and powerful and _stop, Amelia_.

He frowned at me but when I laughed even harder, he began to chuckle again.

"Well, I guess I did need to clean myself anyway," I said looking down at myself. When I looked back at Fili, I noticed that he was blushing slightly.

"Come, we don't want you to fall ill, do we?" he chided, while he stood and helped me out of the water. When I stood, he didn't let go of my hands straight away, but instead held them in his own. My heart was pounding already, but when I looked into his eyes I was taken aback.

He was looking at me intently, his sky-blue eyes gazing into my own. I honestly had no idea what to do in that moment, so I shifted uncomfortably and looked down at my feet. Gah, feelings and this sort of thing was never my strong suit.

Fili let go of my hands, though rather hesitantly, and moved out of the river. I followed after him, collecting the bowls that were on the ground and quickly filled them with water.

When I stood back up and glanced at Fili, he was looking back at me with an expression mixed between several emotions I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"What's wrong?" I wasn't sure if I had been the cause of his change in behaviour but I somehow felt responsible.

"I.. I'm so sorry Amelia.." He looked down at his feet, and I frowned at his odd behaviour.

"It's not your fault, I shouldn't have freaked out when you touched my shoulder, and it's my own fault I fell into the river." I moved closer to him, trying to understand why he was so upset about that.

"No, not that. I am sorry about leaving you in Rivendell. I tried to speak to Uncle about it but his resolve did not falter. I told you that I would make sure you were with us and I didn't fulfil my words."

Ah, that made more sense. I put the bowls on the ground and took his hands in mine, like he had done before, to try and comfort him. He looked at me curiously, but I realised that he also looked quite guilty. I didn't hold it against him, and I sure as heck wasn't angry about the whole thing anymore. It's not really like he could disobey his own Uncle, let along his King.

"I'm not angry you idiot, I know it wasn't your fault and I know you tried. Thank you though, for trying that is. You don't understand how much you have helped Josh and I since we got here.." I smiled, trying to convince him that it was okay.

With a frown on his face, he was about to speak when I did something brave. Or spontaneous and stupid, depending on what way you looked at it.

Before he could get a single word out, I quickly moved my head towards his and kissed him lightly on the lips, stopping whatever argument he was about to start with.

Quickly moving back, I was able to gauge his reaction. He stared at me in shock for what seemed like forever, his mouth hung open in bewilderment. His cheeks then began turning pink, until he turned almost bright red. I was starting to think I had poisoned him somehow when he started to speak. Or ramble.

"I-um, Amel- I mean, M-miss Amelia, wha-?" I frowned at him, feelings of anger and hurt swelling up inside of me. That was dumb. That was so, so, _so_ dumb. What the hell had gotten into me? I didn't handle this crap well, so what made me think that was going to work out?

With negative emotions broiling around my head and my heart, I made a grab for the bowls at my feet and brushed past Fili back to camp. Why did he make me feel this way? Whenever I was around him I would feel brave as anything one moment, but the next I was a timid little mouse that got emotional every time he moved.

Without looking backwards, I heard the crunching of twigs and leaves behind me until he stopped me with his hands and held me in place in front of him. I didn't want to turn around, but he forced me to and started to speak. I just looked down at my feet, tears brimming in the corners of my eyes.

"Miss Amelia, I am sorry.. It's just.. I.. We dwarves, we are not accustomed to open affection towards another, especially when.. When two are not wed. Even then, it is.. It is the male Dwarf that courts the female, not the other way around."

He seemed totally uncomfortable talking about something so serious, which I was so unused to. For the most part, he was playful and cheeky and often flirty. It was my turn to be dumbfounded then, though.

"Wait, what do you mean courting?" I managed to make out after a few awkward seconds.

"What you did.. When you, ah, when you kissed me.. That is a sign that one is courting another, though it is not the females responsibility to begin the courtship.."

Well, that felt like a whole load of sexist bullshit to me, but I thought about it in the context of his traditions and not mine. I had apparently begun to court him, and that was against their rules. Crap. I knew how important their traditions were to them, and I regretted my move even further. I really wished someone would explain this damn Dwarvish stuff to me _before_ I made a fool of myself.

"Well I won't kiss you next time then," I said lamely because I literally didn't know what else to say.

I started to turn away, before he stopped me once more.

"Wait, Amelia.." I turned to face him again before he continued, his voice still nervous. "May I give you something?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him before nodding, and he began to fiddle with something at his wrist. After a few moments, he had taken off a bracelet type piece of jewellery from around his arm.

He looked at me hesitantly before taking one of my wrists in his own hands and tying the leather strap around my arm. When he was finished, I gazed at the bracelet. It was a thick band, about two finger widths wide. On closer inspection I could see patterns and beautiful designs burned into it.

There was a little bit of light left, and I could make out different types of drawings. A few of them looked like symbols of some type, though the main design was what looked to be a man or statue in armour, standing next to a mountain.

It was really gorgeous.

"Thank you… This is really beautiful, Fili.." I looked back at him and he was grinning from ear to ear, his braided moustache almost waggling due to his enthusiasm.

Before I could ask him exactly why he was so happy, he began to lead me back towards camp. We came back to the small clearing in between the trees and saw that most of the Dwarves were sitting on the ground talking amongst each other, and some were cooking the rabbits that were now tied to spit made out of sticks.

I noticed that Thorin was sitting by himself though, and I immediately went over to him. He was still recovering, and I assumed that he would need the water more than anyone.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I whispered to him, as he looked up at me. His eyebrows went up in mild surprise to see that my clothes were still a little wet, and then he replied.

"Fine, Miss Amelia." I could tell he had gone back to being Mr Broody, but I tried to ignore it. I offered him the bowl of water, and he took it. He glanced at my hands as he did so, and I saw him physically tense. I was about to say something, but I was interrupted.

"Thank you," he said abruptly, though his voice didn't sound very grateful at all. I saw him glance over my shoulder at something and narrow his eyes, but I decided I was too tired to decipher what it was he had gotten worked up about. I didn't even feel like eating any of the rabbit, even though I was still hungry.

I moved to where I saw Bilbo, Kili and Josh were sitting, almost huddled together under cloaks, fur coats and a single blanket that Josh had. Everyone else's belongings had been lost in the Goblin Mountain.

Removing my cloak and vest that were wet, I put them close to the fire to dry and moved back to where they sat. I took my own blanket out of my rucksack, hoping that it would be enough to keep me warm during the night. I settled in between the three and the fire so that hopefully the clothes I was still wearing actually dried.

It took me but minutes to fall asleep, but what I didn't realise was that I was dozing off into horrific nightmares.

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><p>I dreamt of my mother. I was with her, but with her at the age I was now and not eight years old. She was wearing a beautiful summer dress and her chocolate brown hair cascaded around her heart shaped face, making her look even more divine. She looked the same as she did the day of her accident.<p>

I was with her, having a picnic in an incredible park filled with pine trees and yellow flowers. It was so serene, and I sat close to my mum, cherishing her presence. I began to ask her a question, but no words would come out.

When I looked up to her in confusion, I saw that my mum had disappeared, and in her place was the Goblin King.

I wanted to scream but nothing came out. Scrambling away from the creature, I witnessed its stomach open up in front of me. I tried to stand up and run, but more goblins appeared and threw me down, hitting me and biting me.

I couldn't do anything; I couldn't see anything but the bodies of hundreds of goblins pinning me down. My breath was coming in short and sharp as I was suffocating, drowning..

All of a sudden, the weight was lifted off of me. My eyes were closed but I wasn't being overwhelmed by the pressure of the creatures anymore. When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw that the creatures were still there. But they were all dead.

Bodies were strewn around me, blood covering everything. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. How could I get away from this horror?

"Amelia," a strained voice said from behind me. I recognised who it belonged to, but it sounded so different, so foreign to my ears. I turned around slowly to not only see Josh, but Bilbo, Fili, Kili and Ori as well.

Josh spoke again, his voice strangled and accusing.

"Why didn't you save us?" He spoke, his eyes looking into mine but not seeing. The others chimed in then, the same dead look on their pale faces.

"Why couldn't you save us?"

"You promised to protect your brother."

"You promised to protect my brother."

"Why did you let us die?"

Suddenly the rest of the company appeared, standing still and staring into nothing. Even Gandalf was there, his usually wise eyes blank and unseeing. I scrambled through the corpses on the floor trying to reach them but no matter how fast I tried to get to them, they never got closer than a few metres away.

My eyes were blurry with tears and I was sobbing so hard that my chest had begun to ache. When I looked back at them, I tried to scream but I couldn't make a noise.

Blood was dripping from each of their eyes, their mouths, their ears. I tried to fight my way through the bodies that were around me, but no matter how much I clawed and grasped, I couldn't reach them. I couldn't breathe anymore; my lungs were exploding with pain. Then they began to call my name.

"Amelia.. Amelia.." Each of them whispered, looking down at me with sad, dead eyes.

"Amelia.." I fought, I fought so hard to get away from the death that I was amongst, but I couldn't. I couldn't speak, I couldn't scream, I could only cry and wish for it to stop.

"Amelia!"

I jolted upright, pushing away whoever was grasping onto me. Unable to find my voice, I tried to scramble away but their hold was too tight. I was sobbing, tears streaming past my unopened eyes and down my cheeks. I couldn't breathe.

"Amelia, it's me, it's Fili! You are safe, look at me!" The voice said in a hushed whisper close to my face. It took me a few seconds to stop my struggling and realise that the voice was Fili's, the real one, and not the one I had just seen. I sucked in a deep breath and opened my eyes, worried that I was going to see the pale and bleeding face of my friend.

I blinked away the tears that were blurring my vision, to see Fili's face just inches from mine. Looking away from his worried expression, I saw that we were still in the forest. The rest of the company were sleeping around us, and the fire was out but the embers were still glowing. It wasn't real. It was just a nightmare.

He released his grip on me when I started to sob again. That was too real though, too horrific. I felt sick to the stomach and my heart felt like it was breaking in two. Every time I blinked I could see the dead faces of my brother and of my friends. Why was this happening to me?

Fili let me go completely then, and I snapped my head upwards to see where he was going. To my relief, he wasn't leaving. He turned his body to sit next to me, quickly wrapping me in his arms. While we were around the same height, I was much smaller than he was and was effectively enveloped in his large arms.

Trying to forget everything that I had seen in my nightmare, I focused on my breathing. It didn't work at first, and I was still sobbing like a little child, but I began to breathe in the smell of Fili. He smelt of fur and leather and something else that made it uniquely him. I sighed, immersing myself in his scent and huddled closer into his chest.

He started to stroke my hair, pulling some of the strands away from my damp forehead. Then he did something that I had heard him do before. He began to hum a tune unknown to my ears, but it was soothing nonetheless. Pushing the memories and emotions of my nightmare and the goblins out of my mind, I filled it instead with Fili.

The tune lasted a long time, and by the time he finished I was close to dozing off again. I was brought away from the edge of unconsciousness when Fili moved his head from next to mine and kissed my forehead lightly.

I opened my eyes and glanced up at him curiously. First it was '_no_, no public displays of affection', then the next minute it was 'okay I'm going to do it anyway.' It was seriously confusing the heck out of me.

"Why is it that you are allowed to kiss me, but when I do it you get all flustered and embarrassed and say that it's against your traditions?"

Of course his cheeks dusted pink at this question and he looked away nervously.

"Like I said, it is the male to begin courting and not the female.."

"I…" I started, but then I stopped, realising what he meant. Oh, holy shit. Did he-_was he?_ Oh wow, he was. He had begun to court me. That sounded so weird and traditional and foreign, but he had kissed me several times now, which meant 'courtship.' Ugh, what a strange word for it. But seriously, _what the hell_. I tried to speak again, once my head had stopped spinning.

"So… Does that mean that you're _courting_ me?" I said, putting emphasis on the word. He seemed to become a little uncomfortable at the way I asked him, and he relaxed his grip around me slightly.

"When.. When I offered you my bracelet and you accepted, that is the way we formally ask to begin courtship.. Then later, a section of hair is braided identically in both parties, to signify the pairing and the sacredness of tradition. Is it not done like this in your world?" He asked nervously.

Oh, that cheeky bugger. He had asked me for my permission without me even realising. I frowned at this cunning way method of asking someone out, realising again that this world was _way_ different than ours.

"No, you ask someone if they want to date you, and if they say yes then you might date for a while before you give them a ring and ask them to marry you. A lot of people don't even get married at all. And we don't do the braiding thing." That he frowned at.

"You give the present after you've begun to court, instead of before?" He asked curiously. "And you do not braid your partners hair? What an odd world you come from, Miss Amelia."

He made a disgusted face for emphasis and I hit him hard on the shoulder I could reach.

"Oi! What was that for?" He exclaimed in a whisper.

"That's for teasing my world and for basically asking me to date you without me even realising." He was about to argue with me, when his expression changed to show almost anxiety and worry.

"Do you not wish for me to court you?" He whispered. His voice was deflated and disappointed; it was almost a slap in the face to hear the usually confident and self-assured Fili reply with those emotions filled in his voice.

I thought about it for a few moments. It wasn't that I didn't like him; I mean I really, _really _did. It had just put me out that there was this whole rulebook about how to act and what to do. In our world, it was nothing like that. You would just make it up as you went along. Well, that's what I gathered from the only relationship I'd ever had. Though maybe that's why it only lasted a few months, because neither of us knew what we were doing or what we wanted.

Looking into Fili's eyes, I swore I saw more than disappointment in them. He looked almost sad. I didn't realise that my 'rejection' would upset him so much. I mean, he was a really attractive guy, and I wasn't really much. I'm sure he could find some Dwarf chicks that he liked better.

"It's not that I don't want you to, it's just that it is strange to me. We don't do that in our world, it's more casual there. And why me anyway?" When he looked at me in confusion, I continued.

"Why would you want to be with me? I bet you have heaps of Dwarf ladies that are lining up to be with you." He just about choked when I said that, looking at me in bewilderment.

"Amelia.. It doesn't work like that.. There are not many Dwarven women besides. More to the point, I enjoy your company. You are loyal and brave, like a true Dwarf, and you have fought to protect me and my family. Your stubbornness is also a quality that is particularly Dwarven." He winked at me then, giving me a small smirk.

"Oh.." I said lamely, before I looked down at my hands. What did I even say to that? I remembered about my bracelet, and the reaction that Thorin had in seeing it.

"Fili, Thorin saw the bracelet you gave me and didn't seem impressed. Did you break one of your traditions?" I joked with him, but he grew tense.

"Thorin… Thorin is unhappy because he thinks that it will be cause of distraction in the quest, and it is a tradition that must be approved and blessed by an elder." I assumed that they must have talked when I went to sleep, and I sighed.

I was going to be in Thorin's bad books, _again_.

When I didn't say anything, he continued to speak.

"Uncle just wants me to take responsibility. He has been grooming me as heir for many years. It is not a bad thing, though he often expects me to act as a leader. I have a duty, but I am so still so young." He sighed, releasing the tension that had built up in his body. It was as though he had been physically freed of some of the weight he had been carrying.

"I know how you feel.. I've basically been the mother and father to Josh since I was eight years old. It's hard having these responsibilities so young." I smiled sadly at him, understanding exactly how he felt. After a few minutes he replied.

"You should sleep for a while longer. I do not know what your nightmare was about, but you look exhausted. I'll stay by you while you sleep, no harm will come to you. I pinky swear."

He held out his pinky, and I took it in my own. I untangled myself from his arms that were still wrapped around me, but my courage (or stupidity) got the better of me again. Before lying down on the ground, I kissed Fili lightly on the cheek, just above his beard. This time though, instead of getting embarrassed or fidgety, he turned towards me and held a cupped hand to my cheek.

"I know I am irresistible, Miss Amelia, but you must sleep." He winked and grinned widely at me. I relaxed, feeling reassured that he was back to his cheeky self.

"Watch out, your ego is showing," I mumbled as I lay down and curled up in my blanket. He chuckled, and I heard him shuffle to lie down next to me. He wasn't close enough to touch, but I could feel the heat radiating off of him and his scent still lingered on my own skin.

With the memories of my nightmare locked in a dark, distant corner of my mind, I drifted away into a now peace-filled sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello again :) I was a bit worried that this chapter was too FiliAmelia orientated, so I had a few friends that are following the story read it and give me feedback. All in all they were happy with how it played out, so that makes me happy :) I wasn't planning the chapter to be like this, but I did want to explore the feelings that the two have for each other in more depth! **

**Please follow/favourite/review! And thank you to those that have already done so, you are great :) I may not get another chapter up til next week, as I am going to Oz Comic Con this weekend! If anyone is there on Sunday, I shall be cosplaying as Tauriel so come and say hi :D**

**Again, thank you all for your support. You are all fantastic. :)**


	13. The Healing of a Shattered Soul

I had woken up the next morning after everyone else had already been awake for some time, and had gotten themselves organised for the day ahead. It wasn't like they had many belongings though, but by the arguments I heard I assumed they were trying to plan what we were going to do about our lack of food, equipment and energy.

Despite everyone already being awake, no one had attempted to wake me purposely; I had a small suspicion that Fili had something to do with that to be honest. I lazily stretched my aching body and sat upright, packing away my blanket into my rucksack. I tied my vest around my torso and my cloak over my shoulders, feeling only vaguely happy that they were now completely dry.

All in all, I was feeling emotionally and physically drained. The thought of walking the entire day on little sleep and without much food made me feel pretty miserable. Most of the company seemed to agree, if the grumbles and groans were anything to go by.

I began to listen in particular to Oin, who had trod over to Gandalf and was beginning to speak unhappily with him.

"Gandalf, we must find somewhere safe to rest!" I heard Oin exclaim to the wizard. Gandalf just looked at the Dwarf expectantly before he continued.

"Thorin is still weak," he said in almost a whisper, "I do not have any of my ointments left to treat his superficial wounds, nor a cauldron to boil any herbs or plants, not after those blasted Goblins! The rest of the company are exhausted also!"

Oin was completely frustrated by his lack of medicine and his inability to treat Thorin. It didn't completely surprise me; when he had been teaching Bilbo and I about different plants that could be used, he had seemed very serious about the importance of them.

"I know of a, er, a man, in this area that may help us. It isn't more than a day's walk, though I do not feel as though he would appreciate many guests.." Gandalf trailed off, looking past Oin as if he was deep in thought.

"Mister Gandalf, Thorin needs the help, though he is much too stubborn to ask." Gandalf simply nodded, before standing and addressing the company, though Thorin in particular.

"There is a man, a friend of mine, who lives in these areas. He will be able to provide us with shelter, food and items we shall need for the rest of our journey. If we leave now, we will reach his home by nightfall."

I realised when I heard the reactions of the company why Gandalf told everyone at once. The entire company sighed in relief, nodded and smiled at the news, except for Thorin. He frowned darkly at Gandalf, though didn't argue, as he would have had to argue with the rest of us about going. Food and safe shelter sounded damn good to all of us.

We collected the little belongings we had, and set off without a proper breakfast. We still had lots of fruit left from the night before, but most of the company weren't satisfied. Again, something about the lack of meat.

The exhaustion I was feeling did nothing but intensify as we walked. My thoughts kept wandering back to the nightmares I had and what they meant. I tried to think about it in the context of the study I had done in my first year of university, but my mind was foggy.

I caressed the bracelet around my wrist absentmindedly as we walked. The piece of leather was surprisingly the little bit of light that was shining through the darkness that seemed to shroud me. Fili had given this to me as a question in which I had accepted and unknowingly answered his ask of courtship with a yes.

It scared me a little bit. Scratch that, it scared me a shit load. What should I expect? I didn't know about any of their traditions and I had already done things wrong. But they had already accepted me, as well as Josh, knowing how different and ill-informed we were. Hopefully they would continue to be patient with us, though I think Thorin would have something to say to me about the whole thing.

My mind wandered back to images of home. I hadn't given it much thought since we left Rivendell, after we decided to stay in Middle Earth, but it suddenly popped into my mind. I had a feeling that it was due to seeing our mum in my dream last night, but I quickly pushed those images aside. That wasn't something I wanted to think of ever again.

Our world didn't feel like home at all anymore though, and I didn't miss it. Was that weird? Was that normal? I felt happier here, which made me feel sick to the core. I felt better in a place where I had witnessed murder, almost been killed, and murdered other living creatures with my own hands.

Who was I becoming? I wasn't the same person I was back in our world. Despite having the courage to stand up to our father back there, I was mostly a shy person. Where everyone at university was interested in going out and drinking, I would rather go on a hike or to my martial arts lessons. I didn't make any real friends there.

I had become very introverted when I was eight for obvious reasons, and Josh was the only person I felt comfortable around or opened myself up to. It was weird that immediately after being in Middle Earth, I had opened up to people more than I had (besides Josh) in over a decade.

Bilbo, the Dwarves and Gandalf just made me feel comfortable instantly. I didn't even need to force myself to trust them, I just had. _Wow_. I realised I had trusted a bunch of strangers in a random place that shouldn't even be real, without barely a question as to who they were. _That could have ended up much worse._

The air caught in my throat in my sudden reality check. It was lucky for Josh and I that they weren't psychotic serial killers or something. It felt like the whole situation was a dream (or a nightmare), but I knew better than that. I had gone through enough to know that this was real despite the absurdity and ridiculousness of it all.

I had been walking at the back of the group when I realised that Ori and Josh had slowed a little to walk with me. They looked at me nervously, but I just smiled back. I didn't want them to be worried. I glanced quickly at Ori and saw that he looked as exhausted as I felt.

God, I was an _idiot_. He wasn't used to any of this sort of stuff either, because he was just a scholar and not a warrior. I didn't realise that he was probably feeling as crappy as me and as Josh as well. Josh didn't look quite so bad, but he wasn't his usual cheerful self.

"Hey Ori, how are you feeling?" He smiled, but the motion didn't reach his eyes. He looked almost miserable.

"What's wrong? You can tell us," I said to him, hoping that he would open up like he had done before. He sighed and replied after a few moments, his usually young and innocent voice sounded much, _much_ older. I wasn't the only one that those Goblin tunnels and the Orcs had changed.

"I thought.. I thought we were going to die, Amelia. I was so worried for Nori and Dori.. It was horrible. I will never forget that feeling for as long as I live." I didn't even know what to say. He was too young to have to deal with this, and to worry about the lives of his family. It seemed to be a reoccurring theme within this company, the constant anxiety they held for the protection of one another.

I just took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze instead. Josh put an arm around Ori's shoulder in an attempt to reassure him, but his mouth was set in a grim line. After wracking my brain to try and think of a way to cheer him up, I realised that the answer was staring me in the face.

I quickly took off my backpack, and while still walking, untied it and carefully pulled out Ori's sketch book. When I heard the gasp of the Dwarf next to me, I looked up and smiled. Ori's eyes were filled with happiness and I swear I saw him begin to tear up.

"Amelia… How did you get this?" He spoke in barely a whisper, his eyes not straying from the book as he took it tenderly in his hands.

"When we found your stuff in the cave in the mountains, I took it from your bag. I couldn't bear to have your drawings lost, they are so amazing.. I didn't grab any of your pencils though," I began to mumble apologies about not grabbing any more of his things when I was encircled in Ori's arms.

"Thank you so much, Miss Amelia. _Dolzekh Menu." _We stopped walking as he held me tight in his embrace. The feeling of being able to help him made the pressure that was weighing down on my chest release significantly. Ori had become such a close friend, almost like a second brother since being here, and that I had been able to cheer him up made me feel good.

He let me go and we continued after the group, catching up quickly as they were not walking at a fast pace.

"Oh, and Amelia," Ori said timidly, snapping me from my thoughts. "I always carry several pencils in my coat just in case I need them." He pulled out a handful of the charcoal looking drawing instruments and smiled at me.

I grinned back at the Dwarf. His eyes were full of happiness once more and it made _me_ feel happy for quite a while. We continued to walk for a long time and I felt warm knowing that I had done something good. Maybe I was still a good person regardless of what I had done in the Mountain?

As soon as my thoughts wandered back to the Goblin Tunnels, the pressure returned to my chest, crushing down on me once again. It felt as though I was beginning to have an anxiety attack, and I struggled to control my breathing. I didn't want my mind to think back on the events of the last few days, but it was hard when the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach reminded me of the horrific actions that I had taken.

The only thing that kept me from falling apart completely was Josh. He had moved so that he was walking on my other side, and took my hand in his. When I looked at him, I felt like he needed the comfort just as much as I did. I could see the pain and sadness in his eyes, just as I felt them myself. It was like we could be two halves to one person with how similarly we reacted to situations.

Josh was my anchor at the very moment, though the entire company were keeping me from melting down to be completely honest. The very people that I had killed for were the people that were going to get me through this. Like I had realised in Rivendell, I was realising again that I needed these people like they were my life raft after capsizing in the ocean.

We continued on for the rest of the day without a rest, and my dark thoughts didn't stop either. I didn't leave Josh's side the entire time, though we didn't say a word. The company of the other was enough to keep both of us stable for the moment.

It was mid-afternoon when we heard howls echoing in the distance behind us. My blood ran cold yet again in reaction to the sounds, and it took but a second for Gandalf to usher us forward into a run. _Not again, oh please not again_, I pleaded inside my head, hoping whatever power in this universe wouldn't let this happen to us. We had only just gotten away last time, and the physical and emotional toll that the last encounter had was still affecting all of us.

We ran quickly but quietly, obeying Gandalf's gestures to be as silent as possible. I felt like my heart would give us away though, with how loud it was pounding in my ears. My legs were starting to falter, giving way to the lack of rest and food. I stumbled so many times but managed to keep up with the rest of the company.

Suddenly, we burst out of the forest and onto a plateau. The familiarity of the scene made the bile rise in my throat, and I tried my hardest to swallow it down. It was as though I could feel the dagger piercing my shoulder again, and the memory of the pain made me feel sick to the stomach. We continued to run across the flatland, when something like a building began to come into view in front of us. As we ran closer, I could make out a giant fence surrounding a huge wooden house. After that I didn't have time to appreciate the fine detail.

From behind us, I heard a tremendous roar and a number of smaller howls and shrieks. Stupidly, I glanced behind me to try and see what had happened. Again, I say stupidly. I could see a number of Wargs with Orcs atop them, attempting to run after us but being stopped by an enormous figure. The creature was on all fours, swiping one of its arms at the Wargs and knocking them aside with ease. The shrieks I could hear were from the Orcs, and they sounded rather pissed off.

That was when I tripped over god knows what, and ended up landing face-first on the dirt ground.

My mind was blurry and I couldn't understand what was going on. I could only feel the hard earth beneath my body and hear a blur of noises from behind me. Finally after what felt like a life-time, my eyes focused on what was happening around me. The company hadn't realised that I had fallen, and I staggered to my feet and continued to run as fast as I could. It was a poor effort, but I managed to catch up to the group as they ran through the giant wooden fence and towards the large house.

My head throbbed with the pain of falling over and I only vaguely saw Dwalin and Gloin pushing open a large door as we piled inside. I could still hear roars and shrieks from a distance away, but I couldn't force myself to care. I moved to the closest wall and let my legs collapse underneath me from exhaustion.

I could hear the company arguing amongst each other and with Gandalf, but I couldn't focus on what they were saying. My body seemed to be shutting down and I couldn't fight it. It felt as though I was going into shock. I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing down in an attempt to calm myself.

Safe to say that wasn't working.

It was only when I heard the arguing stop that I opened my eyes again. Most of the company had dispersed, but that wasn't what I noticed first. It was Fili's face inches away from mine that caught my attention and scared the heck out of me.

"What are you doing?" I said after I just about jumped out of my skin, glaring at the blonde Dwarf. He looked at me with concern in his eyes and a frown present on his features, as he observed my face.

"What happened to your face, Amelia? You have scratches across your check." He held his hand up in what looked to be an attempt at brushing his fingers along my cheek line, but stopped as he quickly glanced backwards to see Thorin glaring at him.

He lowered his glaze and muttered something incomprehensible, before looking back at me and then standing abruptly. I followed his movements with my eyes, as he went and spoke to Oin and they both began to walk back over to me. In this time Josh had realised that I was hurt and quickly came over to sit next to me, trying to ask me questions that I simply nodded to without truly hearing.

As Fili passed by Thorin, the King stopped him and said something which I could not hear. Fili just glared at his Uncle and then shrugged out of his grip, whispering something in reply and walking back over to where Oin was currently looking over my wounds.

I really didn't want them to look after me or check on the scratches, because I knew it wasn't anything serious. The looks that they were giving me made me question that though. They were looking at me as though there was something seriously wrong, and I couldn't understand how a small fall could do much damage. Maybe I hit my head badly? I had been hurt worse before though. I didn't understand.

"Amelia, what's wrong? Answer me?" I zoned into Josh's voice from next to me, as he had begun to shake my arm in an attempt to make me answer him.

"What do you mean? I'm fine," I replied, but even my voice sounded foreign to my ears. What was wrong with me? Who was I?

"No you're not, something is wrong. I can feel it. Please talk to me?" I glanced back at Josh, and he looked so frightened. He looked like the little boy he used to be, and it made my heart break in two. What could I say to him though? I felt like the darkness inside me was crawling into my heart, my soul, and devouring me from within. I was a murderer and I couldn't bear the guilt that I felt from it.

I didn't answer, but Josh looked at Fili and Oin questioningly instead. It was Fili that answered reluctantly.

"Amelia has.. She has been having nightmares since the Misty Mountains and the Goblins.." He trailed off his words when my head snapped upwards and I glared at him. Why did he tell them about my nightmares? I hadn't told anyone about the nightmares that he had suffered from for weeks, but he instantly told them about mine.

He seemed to understand what my eyes conveyed as I stared at him, because he spoke directly to me then.

"You cannot hide them, they are quite obviously terrible nightmares and you need our help to get through them. You know that." After a few long and awkward moments of me glaring into his gaze, I sighed. He was right. I needed them, and it wasn't going to help me to keep it all hidden inside. Look at the damage it had done to me already. I was questioning the very foundations of who I thought I was, and I needed the help of the company. Maybe they could help me heal.

"Miss Amelia, I must tend to your wounds. They are only shallow and small, but they could get infected. Let me find some warm water to wash the dirt away." With that, Oin hurried away to speak to Gandalf. I closed my eyes again, trying to compose myself and get my erratic breathing under control.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to Fili and Josh, who were still sitting on either side facing me. "I just… The past few days.. It's so much to take in.." I opened my eyes again and both were nodding in understanding.

"What we had to do in the Goblin Tunnels and when we were facing the Orcs.. We had to do it Amelia, we didn't have a choice. If we didn't do it then we could be dead and some of the rest of the company could be dead too.." Josh had grabbed my hand as he spoke, struggling to find the right words as his voice faltered and shook.

"Neither of you can blame yourselves for what you did to protect us. You were brave and strong, and defended the company. You helped protect those who see you both as their own kin." Fili spoke without conviction, looking at us almost in pride. I didn't understand how he could be so cavalier about death and murder, though I guess it was a part of his world and not ours.

I did believe that we did the right thing in a sense; I would have done it again to protect not only Josh, but all of them. I wanted to forgive myself more than anything but I didn't want to justify my actions or forget what I had done either. It still hurt inside that I had done something so atrocious and I was supposed to just get on with it as though nothing had happened, like what the rest of the company were doing. Did my actions make me a monster?

I looked at Josh, and noticed how worried and tired he looked. He had killed some of those creatures too.

_Wait_.

Did it make me think of _him_ any less? Did it make me feel repulsed by him, or see him as a monster or a murderer?

No, it didn't.

So why was I beating myself up over it? Why was I worried about being a horrible person, when I didn't see my brother as a monster for doing the exact same things as I had done?

"Josh, do you feel sickened by me after knowing what I did in the Goblin Tunnels? Do you feel as though I am less of a person, knowing that I am a murderer?" He looked at me in almost disbelief before replying.

"Of course I don't Amelia! Why the hell would you think that? It just proves that you are even stronger than I already knew you were."

My mind felt clearer than it had in days. If I was to blame myself for what I had done, then it would be as though I was blaming Josh for it too, because we had taken the exact same actions. I would never blame Josh or hold what he did against him, so why should I do that to myself? Obviously I had a long way to go to get over what had happened, but at least that was a start.

I smiled at Josh, thankful for the epiphany that I had just experienced.

"We don't see each other as monsters, so we shouldn't see ourselves as horrible people for the same reason.. Understand?" Josh looked at me blankly at first, but soon realised what I had meant and nodded in understanding. A smile graced his lips and he looked more himself than he had in days.

"I understand. We get through this together, okay?" I squeezed the hand that still held his, and smiled gratefully. The darkness that had been gnawing at my chest seemed to relinquish for the moment, to my utter relief.

Oin had come back then, holding a bowl of water and a small cloth. Fili moved aside slightly but didn't leave my side, watching me carefully as Oin wiped at my scrapes and scratches. I damned my clumsiness and stupidity at falling over. Then I realised what had caused me to trip, and I snapped my head upwards to ask about what had happened.

I forgot that Oin was tending to my face and I almost knocked him off balance by my sudden movements. He glared at me and I mumbled an apology as I began to ask about the creature we had seen.

"What was that thing outside? That was fighting off the Wargs? I'm glad as hell that it had distracted them enough for us to get away, but I sure wouldn't want to come across that thing ever again. It was terrifying." Oin grumbled something under his breath before replying.

"The creature is a skin changer. Nasty business if you ask me, all curses and dark magic. It is half man, half bear. It can change into either at will." He frowned as he spoke, then mumbled something about finding an ointment and he left.

Okay, that had definitely taken me by surprise. Trying to expect anything in this world really wasn't working, when things kept popping up that I had barely imagined before. A half man, half bear. _Absolutely freaking ridiculous._

I looked back at Fili, and he was still eying me intently despite me feeling much better than I had in days.

"I'm okay, Fili, don't worry," I said quietly, smiling as I did so in an attempt to reassure him. He just frowned even further, but nodded and stood to leave.

"Oh, and thank you," I said, reaching for his hand to hold him in place as I spoke. He looked back at me then with a smirk at his lips and mirth in his eyes.

"You can't keep your hands off of me can you?" he said quietly enough that no one else could hear, excepting Josh that still sat next to me. Fili grinned from ear to ear, and he laughed heartily as I replied.

"Yeah, and the next time it will be me whacking you over the head," I retorted with a smirk. He winked at me as he continued to chuckle while walking away, leaving Josh and I sitting alone on the wooden floor in the large house.

"You really like him, don't you?" Josh said from my side. I turned my head to look at him, to gauge his expression. His eyes looked as though they actually sparkled, a range of emotions lingering in the depths of his eyes. By the wide smile that had set on his face, it seemed as though he looked like he already knew the answer to his own question. Despite that, I answered anyway, finally voicing my feelings for the dwarf. If I was going to tell anyone, it would be Josh.

"I.. Yeah, I do.. Is that weird? I mean.. We are in a completely different world and I have feelings for someone that isn't even human.." He nodded, looking at me in understanding.

"I think that you've finally found somewhere that you belong. I mean we both have, really." I sometimes forgot how young Josh actually was, especially when he spoke with the knowledge and maturity of someone much older. I couldn't have been a luckier sister.

"You have grown up so much Josh. I am so proud of you." He smiled broadly at my words and I pulled him into a tight hug. I felt so much better after talking to him, and the anxiety that had been weighing on me for the past few days had lifted. I was so proud of him and so glad that he had gotten out of the Goblin Tunnels safely.

I held onto the feelings of love and pride that swelled in my heart and in my soul. If our mum was here to observe and witness how much Josh had grown, and how strong he had become, she would be so happy. Keeping those feelings at the forefront of my mind, we stood and made our way through the large house to where the rest of the company were.

Finally having a chance to take in the surroundings around me, I was in awe at the place we were sheltered in. Firstly, it was huge! I mean I was pretty short to begin with, but even Josh wouldn't have been able to reach the roof if he had jumped as high as he could. It was ridiculously enormous and made me feel even tinier than I was.

Everything was carved beautifully out of mahogany coloured wood. The ground was also made from wood, though it was covered in hay as though we were in a barn. As though on cue, I heard a neighing noise from my right and saw that there were two horses in the large room, eying us intently.

They were absolutely beautiful and well groomed. Whoever lived here really took care of them. I looked into their eyes and was taken aback; I knew that horses were intelligent, but the ardent consciousness that I could see within their depths was staggering. It was as though they knew exactly who we were and what we were doing.

Instead of following Josh to the enormous carved table to my left that the Dwarves were currently speaking with Gandalf at, I covered the small distance between me and the horses. They didn't seem afraid of my approach and I sighed a little in relief; I didn't want them to be spooked in the enclosed area.

"Hello beautiful," I whispered to the both of them, standing in front of the two and slowly lifting my hands up to meet their faces. I stroked the muzzles of each of them, murmuring words and asking questions as I watched their eyes study me back. I felt like they could understand every word I was saying, and while it unnerved me slightly, it made me feel mostly comforted.

I continued to speak to them for a long time, letting the feel of their mane and muzzles reassure and relax me beyond words. Only half listening to Gandalf, I picked up on some of the things that he was telling the Dwarves, Josh and Bilbo.

"The man who lives here is named Beorn. As I have already informed most of you, Beorn was the skin-changer that fought away the Wargs this afternoon." There were a few grumbles of unhappiness from the company, but Gandalf ignored them and continued. "He will not be back for the night. There are provisions in his store room and I daresay that we can help ourselves to _some _of his food"- Gandalf looked pointedly at Bombur then- "But Beorn does not eat meat. He treats animals as his kin and does not care to see harm done to them."

The company _really_ complained about this. They were _not_ happy about the lack of meat over the past few weeks, and voiced their annoyances, though Gandalf shut them down immediately.

"Beorn does not take kindly to those who harm animals, I cannot stress this enough. Do not go outside tonight. He often changes shape during the hours of darkness, and you do not want to be in his path when he is in his other form. It is getting dark, and sleep will serve each of you well."

With that, Gandalf stood and left the company. I vaguely heard them discussing sleeping arrangements as I went back to focussing on the horses I was still stroking. It was incredible how being in the presence of these intelligent animals was so easily melting away the fear, anxiety and guilt I had felt.

The company began to move, finding blankets and some food for each of us. We didn't get too much to eat just in case Beorn didn't take well to having us stay here, but the bread and honey still managed to fill my stomach. We all decided to sleep in the main room of the house, which seemed to be equivalent to a living area. There was plenty of space for all of us on the wooden floor, which was cushioned by the hay that lay strewn everywhere.

Bilbo didn't seem to take too well to this, as he was constantly sneezing and complaining about his allergies. Despite this, I managed to fall asleep very quickly. I was still so exhausted and I dozed away into sleep, lying next to Josh with Fili and Kili close by my other side.

The nightmares didn't relent that night. I dreamt again of Goblins crawling over and suffocating me, and of my friends and family with blood dripping down their faces. This time though, they whispered horrific things to me.

"You're a murderer."

"You are atrocious."

"You disgust us."

"You disgrace us."

I woke up again to arms holding mine down as I struggled and fought against them. I couldn't find my voice to scream or shout, but I thrashed against the grip on me. My mind finally cleared enough to hear Fili whispering into my ear, saying my name and trying to calm me.

"Amelia, shh, it is okay. It was only a nightmare. You are safe." I stopped fighting when I realised that it was Fili who was holding me. With silent tears rolling down my cheeks, I quickly wrapped my arms around Fili's waist, and buried my face into his chest. He didn't shy away or become embarrassed, but instead moved me so that I was just about sitting on his lap.

He encircled me in his own arms, wiping the damp hair from my face and caressing my dark, messy locks. I focused my thoughts on the steady heartbeat I could feel pounding through his chest, and the smell of his skin. After a few minutes, my breathing slowed down to normal; my heart was still racing at a million miles an hour, though I doubted it was from the nightmare anymore.

Fili held me in his arms for a long time until I dozed off once more, and I vaguely felt him gently put me back down on the ground and cover me in my blanket. I felt like only seconds had past when I was woken again.

It was early morning, before the sun had even risen when I woke to the sound of growls and heavy movements just outside the door we had entered the day before. I jolted upright in realising that the door was creaking open, and I prayed it wasn't the bear from yesterday. Remembering how easily the creature had tossed around Orcs and Wargs as though they were plush toys sent shivers up my spine.

My prayers obviously weren't answered and I inhaled a deep breath in preparation to scream, as the large figure entered and moved towards the sleeping company.

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><p><strong>I hope everyone is going well! Apologies for the late update, Comic Con was hectic last weekend and I had some assignments to finish this week. Good news is that I am on uni holidays so I hope to upload a fair few chapters over the next few weeks!<strong>

**Please review/follow/favourite, I love hearing from you guys! Have a safe weekend :)**

***_Dolzekh Menu_- Thank you***


	14. Bare Embarrassment

The intake of air caught in my throat when I realised that the figure in front of me wasn't a bear, or some other creature. I could see from the sliver of moonlight shining through the window that it was a man. A very, very tall man. Also, a very naked man.

_Oh my god._

I quickly rolled back onto my side, moving towards and facing Fili, hoping that he didn't realise that I had seen. By the slight chuckle of laughter I heard, he had obviously noticed that I was awake.

_Holy shit, I've never been so embarrassed in my life._

The wood beneath us creaked slightly as I heard his heavy footsteps move away from us. There was a neighing from the other room, and I could hear deep voiced murmurs from the man. I assumed that he was talking to his animals, and I also figured that man was Beorn. I was just thankful that he wasn't in his bear form, despite getting the shock of my life.

I moved closer to the sleeping Fili beside me, but I couldn't get back to sleep myself. It was only a little while before the early morning light began to stream through the windows, and the company started to stir from their slumber.

Fili awoke lazily, stretching his arms above himself before rolling back towards me and slowly opening his eyes. It took him a few moments to register just how close his proximity was to me, and when he did realise he just about jumped backwards. He had moved so suddenly that he had whacked into his brother who was still sleeping behind him with a loud '_thwack!_'

Kili yelped in surprise and the two began to argue about whose fault it was. It gave me a few seconds to try and collect myself. Truly, his reaction stung and feelings of hurt bubbled around in my stomach once again. His actions and reactions almost showed two different personalities and it was confusing the crap out of me. One minute he was trying to court me, and the next he was scrambling to get away from me as though I had the plague.

When he finally stopped arguing with a now fully awake Kili, he looked again at me. I just glared at him and turned to wake up Josh, who had surprisingly slept through all of the noise. Most of the company were already awake by now, moving about the house and finding food.

"Oi, wake up," I said none too gently to my brother, and he jerked upright. He looked startled and I didn't really need to question why his reaction would be like that. We were still restless from the events of the past week.

He calmed down almost instantly though, and we followed the company into the dining area where food had already been laid out on the table. There were several jugs of water and milk, bowls of honey, many loaves of bread and plates full of fruit and vegetables. I couldn't help but smirk at the reactions that I knew the Dwarves would have, but before any of them could say anything, a voice that sounded like a deep rumble came from behind us.

"You will all need some breakfast before you explain to me exactly what your business is here." The entire company just turned around and froze in the sight of Beorn, who was thankfully now dressed. He was so tall, easily a metre taller than even Josh. You can just imagine how he dwarfed- _ha ha_- the rest of the company.

His hair was dark grey colour, and stuck out at all angles. Even his eyebrows and beard were the same colour, though they seemed much more groomed than his hair. Obviously groomed was an odd choice of word for someone who turned into a bear.

The Dwarves still hadn't moved, but I saw Ori and Bilbo slink a little backwards from the towering man. Even I took half a step behind Dwalin, who was standing slightly in front of me; he was just so intimidating, and I remembered the way he had thrown around the Orcs. He must have seen me move, because his eyes moved to mine. I saw his lips turn upwards faintly in a smirk, and I realised he knew exactly who had been awake this morning. Fuck.

I averted my eyes to look at my feet as I felt my cheeks redden, and he suddenly spoke again.

"Come now, eat. I want to hear of your business with the Orcs." The company reluctantly moved to the table to sit down, and I made sure I situated myself away from the head of the table where he had sat. I was sitting in between Dwalin and Josh, with Fili and Kili sitting opposite me.

Despite my loss of appetite, I forced myself to eat large quantities of fruit, bread and milk. Having had the displeasure of not knowing where my next meal would be coming from psychologically allowed me to eat even though my stomach didn't agree.

The only thing that sounded truly appetising was a cheeseburger. Even thinking about the damned thing was making my mouth water.

I realised that I hadn't been paying attention to anything the company or Beorn was saying, though in focusing, they were only recapping everything that we had gone through with the Orcs and Goblins. Beorn roared with laughter when Gandalf told him about how we had basically started throwing fireballs at the Wargs. It was a while before he could truly calm down enough for them to continue telling the story.

All in all, he seemed to be fairly impressed with our journey and the company's hatred for the Orcs and Goblins. He shared this feeling and begun to speak about why he loathed the two species of creatures.

Apparently Azog, the Pale Orc, had imprisoned Beorn and his family a long time ago just for fun, to torture them. He was sullen when he revealed he was the only one of his kind left. I felt for him then. I couldn't imagine it being a good life when you had lost all of your family, and the creature that had killed them was still alive.

I realised that Thorin could relate to Beorn in this sense, and I hoped that it would make it easier to get this man's help. We needed food and supplies to keep going onto Erebor, and there was no way we could do it without Beorn's help.

Beorn eyed Thorin intently, and finally replied when no one else spoke.

"It is known that I dislike Dwarves. You are selfish and put your lives above those you deem unimportant. However, I _loathe_ Orcs and Goblins. You and your company have my help with your travels. I will grant you access to my supplies and ponies, but stay as long as you need. Your company needs the rest, I daresay." Beorn then stood abruptly, and after a glance in my direction, moved away and left through the large door.

It took but a few seconds for Thorin to turn into the leader again.

"We will leave mid-afternoon."

Without meaning to, I had verbalised a groan so loud that even Thorin snapped his head towards me with eyebrows raised as if to say, _'explain?'_

Shit. Everyone was looking at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat in an attempt to play for a little bit of time while I got my thoughts together coherently.

"I just, uh, think that we should rest for a few days. Thorin, you were almost killed a few days ago, and we haven't had much sleep or food for over a week. We should get our energy back before we leave, and it will give us time to gather what we need."

The company were dead silent. I was almost about to blurt an apology when Thorin replied. His face was a mask and I didn't know what he was going to say until the words came out of his mouth.

"Fine. But only two days. We leave midday, the morrow after next. We will need rest for the journey, as the Mirkwood Forest lies ahead." With that, Thorin stood to leave in the same direction as Beorn. I exhaled, realising that I had been holding my breath.

The company went back to eating the rest of the food, though not with the enthusiasm I had seen when I had first met them at Bilbo's house in The Shire. I felt a bit better realising that we had a few days to get our shit together before we left again. The first thing I thought of was how badly I needed a bath. I hadn't cleaned myself properly since leaving Rivendell, well over a week ago.

Talk about disgusting.

I didn't really know who to ask about whether Beorn had a bathing room I could use or anything. I wondered if he even had one. I mean, he was a bear, so he could probably just go swimming in the river or something.

Noticing Gandalf had stood to duck away, I jumped up as well to follow. He had reached the separate room when I had caught up.

"Hey Gandalf, is there anywhere I can, um.. Wash up?" Gandalf turned around and cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable. Why was everyone all touchy when I mentioned bathing? I narrowed my eyes at him until he replied.

"Yes, Miss Amelia. There is the river that runs just behind Beorn's house, and you are free to wash there.. Though I would take care. While the Orcs have been cleared from the area, you still have to worry about the company accidently stumbling across you.." He was looking anywhere but at my face while he spoke, and then turned to leave once he had finished.

_Great_. I had no idea how I was going to manage this, and I groaned even thinking about it.

I went back to the table and sat down next to Josh. I didn't join in any of their conversations, still in thought about how I could go and bathe. After a while, I remembered that Josh had a spare tunic and pants, from when he changed into the Elves clothes and out of Bilbo's. I could use that to change into until my other clothes dried.

Now I just needed someone that I could trust to stand watch while I washed. Fili was the first to pop into my head, though he was being odd with me today so maybe not. I could ask Ori or Bilbo, but I think they would be way too uncomfortable, so that really only left Josh that could make sure no one would cop an eyeful. He could just stand watch behind a tree or something.

I figured the best opportunity would be to go now while the company were still eating.

"Josh, can you help me with something?" I spoke quietly, as Josh just nodded with a mouthful of bread.

"I need to go and uh, have a bath but I need someone to stand watch so no one sees me in the nude. That would be so embarrassing."

I didn't realise that it couldn't have been more embarrassing than what I had just said, apparently a little louder than I hoped. I heard someone choking on their drink before I turned around to see Nori across the table, spluttering his water everywhere.

Next to him, Ori had turned a bright shade of red, while the rest of the company were looking anywhere but at me. Bofur and Kili, on the other hand, were absolutely enjoying the reaction of the Dwarves around them.

"You alright there Ori!" Kili yelled across at the young Dwarf, who really looked like a tomato now. Bofur and Kili began to roar with laughter, as they threw food at Nori and Ori. Fili just looked across the table at me with his jaw agape, his expression that of utter horror and a small hint of amusement.

"What did I say?" I was so confused; surely that wouldn't have caused the reaction it did! I looked at Josh for help, but he looked as confused as me, though he was finding Kili and Bofur's antics quite amusing. It was Kili who answered me after he had calmed down enough.

"It is not.. Not very lady-like to talk about such matters to men, especially at the dining table!" Some of the company grunted in agreement, most of which were still avoiding eye-contact.

"Well, I'm sorry I haven't had a bath in two weeks and feel the need to wash myself!" I heard someone else choke on their food, so I continued to try and lighten the mood. "Besides, how am I supposed to act like a damn 'lady' when I'm surrounded by smelly, bearded men all the time!"

That got a better reaction than my previous comments. Bofur and Kili absolutely lost it, their laughter echoing through the house. Even Bombur, Balin and Bilbo had joined in. Nori had begun to argue with Gloin and Ori about who smelt worse, and even Fili had smirked at me.

I stood to leave then, dragging a chuckling Josh behind me. We collected our rucksacks and left the house where the company were still arguing and laughing amongst each other.

Walking out into the fresh morning air was relieving. The sun was shining down on the green grass and forests surrounding the house. I looked to where Beorn had been as a bear the day before, but pushed those images aside quickly. That wasn't really what I wanted to think about right now.

We walked outside of the wooden fence and moved around the side of Beorn's home, towards where Gandalf said the river stretched. After a few minutes, and a quick walk through some thick trees that lie just behind his house, we came to the river.

Josh quickly took out his spare clothes from his rucksack, gave them to me and with a quick smile, moved back to the tree line out of view. I looked around me, noticing that I would be pretty well covered under the thick forest around us and the river looked to be deep enough to fully submerse myself. It seemed to be deeper in areas, and I probably would have been able to stand without worrying about flashing anyone.

Without further hesitation, I took my shoes off and jumped into the water. I took off my clothes while in the water, just in the off chance that anyone that came across me. I doubted any of the company would stray back out here after our conversation earlier though.

Rinsing my clothes, I could see the brown and red from the dirt and blood that had stained my shirt and pants. It was truly disgusting. After washing each piece, I laid them out on the rocky ground next to me. Hoping that my underwear and bra didn't take too long to dry, I focused on scrubbing down every inch of myself. Realising I probably still had Goblin blood on me made me feel sick.

I was in the river for probably an hour or so. My hair was an absolute bird's nest so I took special care to scrub it and run the knots and tangles out with my fingers. To say it was mission impossible is an understatement. Josh had called out a few times to make sure I was alright, but besides that it was quiet and peaceful. I could hear birds chirping and singing, and the sound of the water flowing around me was fantastic.

Feeling glad that I had told Thorin we should stay longer, I left the river and quickly put on my now dry lingerie and the clothes that Josh had given me, because my pants and tunic were still damp.

I couldn't even believe how much better I felt in simply being clean. Collecting my belongings, I looked at my surroundings. The sun was shining high in the blue sky; the light green and yellowing leaves on the trees around me rustled in the breeze; the pristine water of the river drifted lazily around the rocks and down the current. Everything just seemed so perfect.

After a few moments of just taking everything in, I moved back into the trees to Josh. He was leaning against a tree, just looking up into the canopy above him. He seemed to mirror how I currently felt; content.

"Do you want to clean up?" He grinned and jumped up, already moving to the river. I sat where he had just been, and leaned my head against the tree at my back. The sunlight streamed through the foliage well above my head. It was beautiful.

My own clothes soon finished drying, so I quickly changed into them and folded Josh's. I had a feeling he wouldn't wear them again though, because they were too small for him.

After about an hour, Josh came back wearing what looked to be now clean and mostly dry clothes.

"Even though that wasn't a hot shower, it was damn good!" The smiling Josh helped me up and we began to walk back. We took our time, not really needing to rush anywhere. It felt good after spending the better part of the last two months running.

"You seem better today," Josh said, turning his head slightly to look at me. I just smiled in return.

"Yeah, and you do too." We continued to walk for a while longer before he spoke again.

"Are you still having nightmares though?" I was slightly taken aback by the suddenness of his question, but I wasn't willing to dwell on it too much.

"I have been, but I'll be fine. Fili has been helping me with them." I smiled at him again, honestly trying to convey that I was alright. It's not that the nightmares weren't bad; they were absolutely horrible and they made me feel terrible if I thought too much about them. It's just that I had Fili to calm me down and I had Josh and the rest of the company to keep my mind off of them during the day.

We didn't speak any longer, but were comfortable enough just being in each other's company.

By the time we made our way back, it was lunch time and the company were again eating. We joined them and dug in, listening to their banter and joining in on their various conversations. Bofur winked at me from across the table, and I just threw the nearest bread roll at him.

"Oi!" He yelled as it hit him squarely on the forehead. He began to laugh as Kili threw some other food product at him, and it would have turned into a full scale food fight if Thorin hadn't stopped us. I think he was less inclined to ruin Beorn's home, though a food fight in Rivendell wouldn't have fazed him at all. Had he been there during that, he probably would have led the assault of food against Lord Elrond.

That didn't dampen their moods though. Once they finished their food, they all moved outside to go and bathe in the river themselves. Kili dragged Josh along, even though he had already washed. Even Bilbo went along after Bofur convinced to join the group, though he had grown supremely nervous about it. He was someone who barely had social visitors; I could hardly see him jump into a river in the nude with a bunch of hairy Dwarves.

I stayed in the house and started to clean up the dining table of the mess that the dwarves had created. I started to regret throwing the food around. Sighing, I cleared the plates, wiped down the enormous table that I was only just able to reach over and picked scraps off of the floor. It was when I stood up again that I realised I was being watched.

"Oh fuck," I exclaimed as I jumped about a metre in the air, seeing that Beorn was standing at the end of the table with his arms crossed, watching me.

"I'm sorry to startle you. Miss Amelia, am I right?" I nodded and replied to him.

"Just Amelia. You scared the hell out of me." He just smirked at me and his answer made my cheeks flame in embarrassment.

"It wouldn't be the first time." He continued to smirk at me as I continued to clean up his dining room. He made me feel a little uncomfortable, but I just tried to relax. There was no point in freaking out just because he intimidated me. When I didn't reply, he asked me a question.

"Where are you from?" I just stared at him. What did he mean by that? Did he know that I wasn't from here?

"Far away from this place." I retorted, unwilling to tell him anything else.

"Why is it you are following those Dwarves around then? They are stubborn and selfish, and do not care for others, such as animals, as you do. My friends here have told me of how you spoke to them when you first arrived, yet the rest of the company did not even give them a second glance. What is it you see in those Dwarves?" He motioned towards his friends- the horses that I had talked to yesterday.

Ignoring what he had said about the company in an attempt to calm myself down from the anger that was starting to creep into my heart, I replied to his questions with one of my own.

"So you can understand the horses can you?" My voice was edged with sarcasm and I avoided his gaze by beginning to wipe down the chairs.

"Yes, I can. I am linked to animals due to my.. Nature. I can understand and communicate with them. I have answered your question, now you should answer mine."

Okay, that was it. Who was he to question why I was with the company, why I was _following_ them around as if I was their pet? I wasn't a damned child that he could try and chastise as if he was someone that was allowed to tell me what to do.

"I see loyalty, honesty and the willingness to protect their family. You dislike them for looking down on others, but that is exactly what you are doing right now. You don't even personally know them." I had looked at him then, standing with clenched fists by my side.

"But you are not their kin? You should know that it is extremely rare for a Dwarf to see anyone unrelated to themselves, let alone a different race, as kin."

"Don't talk about things that you have no idea about. They have protected me more than you can even scratch the surface of." To my utter frustration, he just simply chuckled, eying me with amusement.

"You are an odd thing, are you not? You are human, yet possess the stubbornness and loyalty of a Dwarf, but the compassion and temper of a skin-changer. I can see that now. If it is your wish to stay here instead of continuing on _their_ journey, you are free to do so. The animals here have taken a liking to you." On that note, he left with a small smirk which made me think that the horses weren't the only animals he was talking about.

The anger drained out of my body and I was left feeling slightly deflated. The way that he had said it was _their_ journey, implied that he thought I didn't belong with them. It left doubt in my mind, especially after he had said how unlikely it was that they saw _me_ as family.

Needing to escape and get some fresh air, I quickly moved outside through the back entrance. I sat down against the outside of the wooden fence that encircled the house, and closed my eyes. _For fucks sake; I was having a good day too_. I emptied my mind and tried to focus on the sounds around me to calm myself down.

That was when I heard it.

There were yells coming from the direction the river was; I couldn't see anything through the thick trees, but I knew that it was the company. _Oh my god_, _what if the Orcs had come back_. A thousand thoughts rushed through my head. They didn't have weapons. They weren't prepared, no, no, no.

I ran back into the house to grab my twin blades and sprinted back out the door and through the woods. The thought of them being defenceless against the Orcs made my stomach churn, but it spurred me to move faster towards the source of the noise.

The yelling was becoming louder, and I could finally see the tree line thinning. I burst through the forest, into the small clearing next to the lake, to see something so horrible that I had to close my eyes. I couldn't believe it.

They were all naked.

They were naked and atop each other's shoulders, trying to topple each other over in some type of game.

What the hell.

I started to make small steps backwards with my eyes closed, hoping beyond hope that they hadn't seen me. It was in vain.

"Oi lass, if you wanted to join us, all you had to do was ask!" I recognised Bofur's voice and excepting the laugh that came from him and Kili, I heard nothing but silence. I didn't dare open my eyes again; I had seen quite enough.

"I, ugh.. I heard the yells.. I thought that, um, there were Orcs, or.." I trailed off sounding completely and utterly stupid. This was so humiliating.

"And you were going to fight them off by yourself!" Kili yelled, trying to contain the eruption of laughter that I knew was coming. I didn't respond, but I instead turned around, opened my eyes and bolted back through the forest to the house with the howls of laughter following me.

They would never let me live that down, ever. Not to mention that the image of all of them stark naked was going to be scarred in my mind forever didn't make me feel any better. How utterly embarrassing. I felt like it was becoming a running theme today.

I moved into the house and lay down on my blanket and cloak, where I had slept the night before. It was almost evening by now, and I sighed. I had begun to doze off when I heard the noises of the company returning through the front entrance.

Wishing more than anything that there was a rock I could crawl under, I stood up to face the further humiliation that was about to come my way.

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><p><strong>Hello everyone :) This chapter is a bit lighter and a bit cheeky! I feel like I want to have one or two chapters of more bonding and more light-hearted interactions between the company, especially because Mirkwood Forest is ahead and it's going to get a bit rough for them from here on out. That is why I've chosen to have them stay at Beorn's house for a few days.<strong>

**I will probably have one more chapter here before they move on; I also hope to update again by the end of the week!**

**Thanks to Fleursoh and Shadowsammy for your reviews! :) And thank you to my new followers :D Have a great day!**


	15. A Place To Belong

"Okay, before you say anything or laugh at me again, I am so, so sorry. When I heard you guys yelling I honestly thought that the Orcs had come back. I did the first thing I thought of."

Most of them looked embarrassed. Some of them glared at me. Some of them just smirked, and unsurprisingly it was Bofur that replied first with a grin on his face.

"Oh, 'tis alright lass! I'm sure you didn't mind the view," he winked and patted me on the shoulder as he passed to make his way to the dining room.

"No, I'm actually scarred for life now. I'm probably going to need a counsellor for all the damage it's done me." A few of them chuckled, but for the most part they all moved past without a word or glance in my direction.

_Yeah, great work Amelia._

It was actually Thorin that stopped before he passed me and spoke, his face emotionless but eyes intent.

"Despite you causing embarrassment to most of the company, your heart was in the right place." He simply nodded and then left, leaving me to stand there. Thorin's hot/cold personality was getting hard to predict. I sighed, and then saw it was Fili who had brought up the rear of the group, looking at me with a mix of emotions that I couldn't quite discern. I figured that I might as well ask about his strange mood while the rest of the group were in the other room, talking too loud to hear our conversation.

"Hey, what's up with you? Why were you acting weird this morning?" His eyes widened slightly and he began fidgeting with his hands as he took his time to reply.

"No, nothing is wrong Miss Amelia." I narrowed my eyes at him, his lying so obvious that I wasn't even half convinced.

"I'm not buying it. I saw the way you reacted when you saw how close I was to you. Is it something to do with your traditions again?" He exhaled, slumping his shoulders in the process.

"It is not proper to, uh.. To lie with someone before marriage.." I was at my wits end; the embarrassment I had felt today, not to mention the conversation I had with Beorn, and now this, was frustrating me beyond belief.

"You know I wish you would tell me about this stuff _before_ I did something wrong! We have been sleeping near to each other the whole time we've been travelling so I don't understand why it's a problem now." I lowered my voice slightly before continuing, cutting off what Fili was about to say.

"Besides, the only reason I was so close to you was because Beorn came into the house, completely bloody naked not to mention, and scared the hell out of me! What was I supposed to do? I felt better being closer to you." I felt deflated by the last sentence, through revealing how he made me feel safe. Despite this admission, Fili's head snapped upwards and his eyes showed what looked like anger.

"He.. He walked in, without clothes on and you saw him?" I didn't really understand his reaction. I had just seen him and the whole company stark naked this afternoon, but he didn't seem to be angry about that. I guessed that most of our group distrusted Beorn though, as I had noticed the day before with Oin's reactions to him as a skin-changer.

"Yeah, well it wasn't really avoidable, I thought that it was him in bear form! Anyway, it's not like I haven't seen that before. I mean it's not really what I wanted to see, but it's nothing. You don't need to be angry about it." Holy shit, _that _was most definitely the wrong thing to say. His shoulders tensed, and where there was anger in his eyes before, there was rage. He was absolutely fuming.

"What do you mean, you've seen that before?" He spoke his words through clenched teeth, attempting to control himself. I didn't know what to say. Scrambling my thoughts together, I finally understood why he was so angry.

It was against his traditions; he had just said that it was unacceptable to sleep with someone before marriage. _Great._ This wasn't something he was going to take lightly; I vaguely wondered if he would stop his gestures of courtship if he knew that I had slept with someone previously, before I shakily spoke in defence of myself.

"Fili.. I told you about how it was different it was back in our world, marriage isn't something that is really important there. Most people don't wait until marriage, to.. Um.. _Lie_ with their partner." When I looked at his eyes again, I saw hurt flash across them before the anger returned.

"You've.. You.. But.." He shook his head angrily, and then his expression went blank. His face was like a mask, and I swear he was almost a clone of Thorin then. I was so shocked that I couldn't even stop him when he moved past me to join the company.

I knew that it wasn't my fault and there was nothing that I could do, but he made me feel extremely guilty. The hurt that flashed across his eyes was something that I had only seen once before; when he was having his nightmares and thought that Kili had been injured.

There wasn't anything I _could_ do though. Ideals and life choices were much different in my world; there wasn't a pressure to wait for marriage, or to even get married at all. I couldn't apologise for doing something that I had thought right at the time, something that I had no idea would be frowned upon in my future. I had no fucking idea I was going to end up in Middle Earth.

What was I going to do though? I wasn't going to apologise for my actions, but I could apologise for how it made him feel. It wasn't like this changed me; I was still the same person that he had begun to like and started to court. I just hoped he saw it the same way, though the knots that had formed in my stomach made me doubt myself.

I walked back into the dining room and sat with the company, eating dinner without joining into their chitchat. I stole glances across the table at Fili, who was silent as well, his emotionless mask in place.

We had eaten and the Dwarves had bantered with each other for probably an hour or so before the company dispersed to go to sleep. I attempted to pull Fili aside to speak to him, but it was in vain. He was definitely trying to avoid me.

Instead, I went straight to my belongings and lay down to sleep. I felt sick to the stomach. I didn't want to fight with anyone within the company, but knowing it was Fili that was angry and hurt by my past made me feel even worse. I heard everyone else go to their places and the talking died off a long time before I myself was able to fall asleep.

As I fully expected, I found myself dreaming. This time, the company were fine. They weren't bleeding or dead, but somehow this nightmare was worse. They were leaving me again; I was stuck where I stood and I could see all of them, even Josh, leaving me behind. I called out to all of them, but only Fili turned around.

I could see all too well the disgust and hatred engrained into his features, as he turned back around and left. Calling out to him, I saw them disappear and I was alone. I could hear the howls of Wargs, and I was absolutely terrified.

Jolting awake, I threw my arms around whoever was trying to calm me. It took me a while to actually realise that it was Fili, to my utter shock. He comforted me as he had done before; holding my body against his, stroking my back and whispering into my ear. There wasn't any hate, any hesitancy or any disgust. I let him continue for a while, when I croaked out my confusion through my dry throat.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you were angry at me." He sighed and spoke quietly after a few moments.

"I am not angry with you, _delva_. It is just.. Hard to think about." I looked up at him to see that he had closed his eyes in frowning. I moved my hand to his cheek, and forced him to open his eyes to look at me. I was taken aback by the hurt I saw evident there, but I cleared my throat and spoke.

"I can't apologise for what I've done in the world I grew up in. It was different there in so many ways.. I am sorry for the way I told you and the way I made you feel about it though. But I'm still the same person, Fili; I haven't changed at all, unless you see me differently now.."

Honestly expecting him to tell me that it was different now, and the way that he thought about me had changed, I was surprised that he told me the complete opposite.

"You are still the same in my eyes, Amelia. You are still strong and loyal; you are still you." He kissed my forehead then, and my jaw just gaped in surprise. I didn't think that he would accept me or want me after telling him something so personal, something that upset him so much. Obviously his hurt wasn't going to go away immediately, but he wasn't going to ditch me because of my past.

My heart swelled with emotions for him; up until that point, I had found him attractive and really liked him. But now.. Now, it was more.. It was raw and overwhelming and all-encompassing.

I tilted my head towards his, gathered my courage and pressed my lips against his. It lasted only a moment before he moved his head away from mine, looking down at me in a mix of surprise and mirth.

"You don't enjoy following tradition, do you?" He said, quickly getting over the shock and chuckling quietly.

"How could I? Apparently I'm not even allowed to kiss you without your damn permission." I smirked at him through the moonlight-splayed darkness. In the soft light, I could see a flicker of something in his eyes, before his smirk turned into a gentle smile and he moved his lips to mine.

I felt dizzy with the movement; his lips against mine made my stomach turn in nervousness and my head spin. His lips were soft and warm, and sweet with the vague taste of honey and milk. My grip on his shirt tightened slightly as our lips moved gently against each other, but I felt as though all of the nerves in my body were alight.

Fili pulled away slightly, gasping faintly as he rested his forehead on mine. Being in his arms was nothing like I had ever felt. I definitely hadn't felt like this when I was with my ex-partner in my old world; it felt like a dull memory from someone else's life now.

"I feel as though you purposely force me to wake you up from your nightmares, just for moments like this," he whispered cheekily to me, his grin still in place on his face.

"Why are you complaining?" I said to him, winking as I moved back to lie on my blanket.

"I would never think to complain, _delva_."

I chuckled, wrapping myself in my cloak as I dozed off into nightmare-less sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning after breakfast, Bofur, Bilbo, Josh, Nori, Ori, Kili, Fili and I went to the river just to relax. Bofur had told us that the company were going to be collecting the things we needed for the rest of the journey that morning, so Josh and I decided to kind of sit back while they did all the work.<p>

We didn't realise that Bilbo and five of the Dwarves enjoyed our idea and decided to follow us, planning to prepare later that afternoon.

We found a grassy area near to the river, which was quite soft to lie on. Josh, Bilbo, Ori and I laid down and watched the white clouds drift across the sky, while the others wrestled with each other, attempting to knock the other into the river.

I tried to think of what I would be doing, right now, back in our world instead of this. It made it hard to guess because I had no idea what day it actually was, but I figured I would be studying or watching one of my favourite TV shows.

"Hey Josh, do you miss any TV shows at all?" I asked randomly, throwing my errant thoughts into the air.

"What are '_Tee-Veee'_ shows, Miss Amelia?" Bilbo asked curiously. I looked over to see that Ori had sat up and opened his notebook with a pencil in hand, gazing at me intently. I had a feeling that the young Dwarf had picked up much more than he let on about where we had come from; he seemed entirely too curious and interested in our strange words for someone who was completely ignorant.

"It's like.. A story is played out by people, who act different roles, or play different characters. It's shown to audiences, like other people, who watch it because they are interested in the story. There are lots of different ones. My favourite ones were always the medical or crime ones." Bilbo looked at me with slight confusion but with overwhelming interest. Ori was frantically scribbling words into his notebook.

I had almost religiously followed Criminal Minds; because I was doing a psychology course, it was really understandable to be honest.. I also had a guilty pleasure of watching and re-watching lots of medical-drama shows. Grey's Anatomy was a big yes for me. It wasn't that I wanted to be a doctor or anything, but it was always so interesting to watch the procedures (though they would probably make me gag now), and there was always McDreamy. _Sigh._

Bilbo had re-asked my question that was directed at Josh; he seemed to be genuinely curious about what Josh had to say. My brother answered, and then began to excitedly explain the storyline of Game of Thrones to the Hobbit. It was quite amusing to see his facial expressions as Josh described certain plots and characters.

"She- a human- was a _mother_ to three _dragons_?" Bilbo exclaimed, a look of complete shock on his face. I laughed at their conversation, and looked back to the sky. The sound of the other Dwarves was almost calming; their laughter and yelps made me smile, and the sun shining down on our faces was fantastic.

I was feeling great.

Ori continued to ask me questions about where I was from. While Bilbo and Josh were busy discussing whether Danerys was awesome or actually crazy, I decided to ask Ori something in return.

"Do you know where we are from Ori?" He looked up from his book at me, his eyes conveying knowledge and understanding in them. After a few moments, he replied.

"I know that you come from somewhere further away from here than anyone realises. Sometimes I wonder how you stumbled across the company." His voice was so innocent but his words were so wise. He had definitely picked up on much more than I had even noticed. I totally agreed with his statement; it had to be more than just dumb luck.

I thought about what Gandalf and Galadriel had said about there being a purpose for Josh and I being there, and I really wondered if we had found it yet or if it was still to come. The idea of having a purpose unnerved me; never before had I thought that I was worth something, or that I was doing anything for a bigger reason. I had just been getting through life without looking at the bigger picture; sure, I had been in university, but what _meaning_ was there to my life?

As if he could read my thoughts, Ori began to ask about whether I had been taught to read and write. Apparently it wasn't very common amongst the Dwarves to learn to do as such, and the fact that most of the company were able to was a real exception.

He continued to write as I attempted to explain university to him, and that I was doing a specialised education. As soon as I would finish answering one question he would ask another one. It was weird talking about our world to someone who had no idea about it at all, but it was also relieving to talk about it in the open. It made the fact that we were no longer there seem much more real, because in all honesty I thought that one morning I would wake up back in my own bed.

The more I thought about it, the more I realised I wished more than anything for that not to happen.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a splash, and realised that Bofur and Fili had managed to throw Kili into the river. When he emerged, he looked like a drowned rat and I couldn't help but laugh. It really was such a heart-warming and hilarious view; all of us were howling in laughter while Kili climbed out of the river, his under-shirt and pants soaked through. It was a good thing that he wasn't dressed in all of his gear, as he would have never dried.

Kili spotted Josh sitting on the grass, eyes closed in laughter, and before my brother could see, the Dwarf ran over to him and tackled him. Josh yelped in surprise and started yelling at Kili, as his clothes were now almost as wet. From then on, Ori, Bilbo and I tried to muffle our laughter, lest we came to the same fate as Josh.

Enjoying the playful banter between all of us and seeing just how relaxed we were, made me feel really quite content. I wondered if it would be like this once the quest was over? I hadn't even thought that far ahead, though I guess I was still trying to wrap my head around really being here. What sort of life would I have? What would I do? The unknown really scared me; but then I remembered how Josh had convinced me into the unfamiliar when we had decided to help the Dwarves on their quest.

We had jumped straight into the mother of all unknown and unbelievable, but we had made it this far. We had grown stronger and we had grown as individuals. I really saw how much Josh had matured since being here; he was always so smart for his age, but his outlook on the world had changed. I could see it in his stature; he no longer held his head low and hunched his shoulders, cowering and afraid to stand up for himself due to the fear of punishment.

Now he was confident, and while still afraid of what was in this world, he was no longer afraid of what he believed in and standing up for that belief. His main reason for staying here was to find an escape from the tortured life he had with our father, but he had also wanted to help the Dwarves. He empathised with them and understood the loss that they had felt. His willingness to help had only intensified with each day we gotten to know the company.

I saw how he was now wrestling with and mucking around with Nori, Bofur, Fili and Kili, though Kili in particular. They honestly looked like they could be brothers with how close they were, and how at ease they were with each other. It made me so happy to know that he now had people that were like brothers to him. Damn Beorn and his belief that Dwarves didn't accept anyone of a different race or family as kin. I was witnessing it right before my eyes; they cared about him and no one would make me doubt that again.

We had been out by the river for a few hours when Balin came out to find us. Apparently the rest of the company were eating lunch and had already packed up food and equipment needed for the rest of our travels when we were to leave tomorrow.

Reluctantly we followed Balin, realising that from tomorrow onwards wasn't going to be fun and games like today had been. We were going through some pretty dangerous areas from what I gathered, and we had to be serious from here on out. It seemed as though everyone else realised this too; Bofur, Nori, Fili and Kili had become solemn and were discussing plans with Balin.

For the rest of the afternoon, we packed our rucksacks with supplies that we were going to need; rope, different medicines that Oin had concocted, sacks of water and many portions of dried fruit, vegetables, nuts, bread and jars of honey. Beorn also gave blankets to each member of the company that had lost their sleeping bags in the Goblin Tunnels.

It was when I was in Beorn's pantry, collecting loaves of bread and different baked honey cakes that he spoke to me once more, asking about my decision on whether I was going to continue with the company. I honestly hadn't taken his offer seriously, but it didn't take me any hesitation to answer him.

"I know where I need to be Beorn, and you aren't going to make me change my mind." He smirked as he had done the previous day, and said something about knowing where to find him if I did change my mind. I hoped he didn't plan on holding his breath on that one.

That night would probably be one of the last nights of real comfort before we reached our destination, and each of the Dwarves realised that. It wasn't to say that we didn't make the most of our last meal though; everyone was eating as though we weren't going to see food for weeks, and I was hoping that wasn't the case.

There was a feel of tension that hung in the air though, and I wasn't the only one that noticed it. It wasn't a surprise to me when Bofur stood atop his chair, and with his deep, melodic voice, began to sing.

_Ho! Ho! Ho! to the bottle I go  
>To heal my heart and drown my woe.<br>Rain may fall and wind may blow,  
>And many miles be still to go,<br>But under a tall tree I will lie,  
>And let the clouds go sailing by.<em>

By the end of the song each member of the company, even Bilbo, Josh and I, were standing atop our own chairs singing and clapping along to the tune. I honestly couldn't believe just how loud the Dwarves voices were; it felt like I was half deaf after the song had finished.

We were all laughing and yelling when Bofur bowed deeply, a wide grin in place on his face. The whole atmosphere changed dramatically; I could see the twinkle in everyone's eyes and the smiles didn't leave their faces for the rest of the night. Even Thorin had a small smirk on his face as he watched the antics of Bofur and the rest of the company. Bilbo was sitting next to Balin, and was listening and laughing to something he was saying.

Even though I had nightmares that night, I remembered how happy the company were at dinner, and it made me feel much better. That memory wasn't something that I would never forget.

* * *

><p>The following morning we awoke to the sound of neighing from outside the house. Realising that Beorn had organised our transport to Mirkwood, Thorin ordered all of us to pack our belongings and load up the ponies. Gandalf told us that Mirkwood was half a day's travel East, and we were going to leave the ponies behind when we reached the edge of the forest.<p>

Without any delay, we followed Thorin's instructions. Breakfast was rushed, but I saw many of the company downing more food than I could fathom eating, and that was saying something. After packing our belongings onto the ponies, Beorn appeared to see us off.

"The Mirkwood Forest is thick with illusion and deceit. Do not stray from the path; do not drink from the black river that flows through there; and do not eat any of the berries from the bushes. If you do not heed my warnings, it may be the last thing you ever do. I wish you speed in your travels, and my house is open, if you ever wish to come this way again."

Beorn and Thorin took each other's forearm in farewell, nodding to one another. Beorn then nodded to Gandalf, and after a glance in my direction, moved quickly into the forest in the opposite direction of where we were heading.

With that, we hopped onto our ponies and followed Gandalf atop his horse, across the fields towards Mirkwood. It didn't take very long at all to get to the forest. After a few hours, it was in our sight.

It looked like a fortress wall that spread as far as the eye could see; there was nothing but dead land that outstretched in front of us towards the dark, looming trees of the forest. It was almost like nothing had grown near to it in a long time. It made the skin crawl on the back of my neck. Realising that I couldn't even hear the chirping of insects or whistles of birds made me feel even more apprehensive.

The forest was deterring everything living from it, yet we were about to waltz straight in. My stomach tightened in anxious anticipation.

We closed the distance and stopped just as we reached the forest line. The pony that I was sitting on began to whimper and move backwards away from the trees in front of us. I tried to calm her down through talking to her and stroking her neck. She finally settled, but the rest of the company were having difficulties with their ponies. Each of them was trying to move as far away from the forest as they could.

I jumped off of my pony and quickly unbuckled my rucksack, scared that she was going to get more spooked and run away. Patting her muzzle, I gave her a quick kiss on the nose and beckoned her to go. She didn't even hesitate in galloping away from the forest, back to Beorn's home I supposed.

Bilbo's pony was giving him a real hard time; he couldn't even get down let alone take his belongings off of the saddle. I moved over to him and tried to calm down his pony so that he could actually get down without hurting himself. It's safe to say it took a little while before the pony completely settled enough for Bilbo to hop down.

Again, I stroked the muzzle of Bilbo's pony before I tapped her backside to push her to go. The rest of the company had managed to get off of their ponies, though they unbuckled their rucksacks before hoping down just in case they ran off with our bags.

It was lucky that they did; as soon as they jumped down, most of the ponies got even more spooked and bolted after the others in the opposite direction of where we were heading.

Gandalf's horse was now the only one that hadn't left. I looked to the wizard, and saw something in his eyes and expression that I only recognised as regret. I didn't understand why he would feel that way, until he spoke.

"This is where we must take separate paths, my friends. I have business in the South that must be attended to; this is, after all, your own journey."

My heart sank. He was really leaving us this time and I felt sick thinking that he wouldn't be there to help us. What if we ran into more Orcs? What if we got lost in the forest? I glanced at Bilbo and Josh, and they looked as though they felt the exact same way.

We were only on this journey because Gandalf had been the one to invite us on it and fight for us when the others doubted our abilities. He was the one who found us when we had ended up in a completely different world, scared and alone and trying to get through the hurt our previous lives had caused us. I hated that he was going to leave us. I had a feeling that it had to do with the evil he spoke to us about on our journey up to the Misty Mountains.

It was something that he had to do, because with the look of regret that I saw in his eyes, I felt like he didn't want to leave us. The company were pleading and complaining and arguing; they didn't want him to go either. Even Gloin and Nori were promising Gandalf gold if he continued on with us through the forest, which made me laugh bitterly in spite of the situation.

"From the beginning you Dwarves have known that I wasn't to join you the entire journey. It is up to you now." Gandalf was about to turn and mount his horse once more, but I stopped him in his tracks by giving him the biggest hug I could manage for my size. Once I let go of Gandalf, Josh and Bilbo turned to do the same.

"You have changed, Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf said as he finally let Bilbo go. Bilbo looked up at Gandalf nervously, and spoke shakily after a few seconds.

"I meant to tell you, Gandalf.. I found something in the Goblin Tunnels.." Gandalf looked at Bilbo expectantly, with a frown etched deep into his face.

"What did you find? Bilbo, what was it you found?" He sounded almost urgent as he spoke, and I saw Bilbo shift again nervously, before holding his head high and speaking with confidence that wasn't there before. I couldn't help but notice that he was fidgeting with his pocket, like he did the day that we escaped from the Mountains.

The image stirred something in the back of my mind that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was like I vaguely remembered something, but as though it was a lost dream, I couldn't place the reaction I had and why I felt as though I recognised it.

"My courage," was Bilbo's reply, and Gandalf sighed. He looked at the three of us before addressing the company as a whole.

"Master Bilbo, Master Joshua and Miss Amelia have shown their strength, and it would be wise of you to seek their help while you travel through Mirkwood and on the rest of your quest. Do not stray from the path and do not eat or drink anything you find in the forest! Good-bye, and I hope to see each of you before the end of your journey!"

And with that, Gandalf jumped atop his horse and rode away from us. No one spoke for a long time after he disappeared from our view, but it was Thorin to pull us back into the present and spur us onwards into the forest.

The company were hesitant at first, but their determination was found as Thorin urgently reminded us that we needed to be at the mountain as quickly as possible, if we were to find the hidden door. I had almost forgotten our conversations with Gandalf when travelling to find the company, and how he told us of the map that Elrond had studied. He had said that there was only one day that the door could be opened, and that day was soon approaching, according to the Dwarves and their calendars.

Walking close to Josh and Bilbo, we began to travel through the darkening forest of Mirkwood, anxious of what was ahead.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey everyone! Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend, whether you're celebrating easter or not :)<strong>

**The song that is in this chapter was one that was originally sung by Pippin and Sam in LoTR- I don't think it's too far-fetched that they may have learnt it from Bilbo, who could have learnt it on his own journey to Erebor, so that is why I have added that song in particular. What can I say! I love imagining Bofur singing lots of different songs to cheer the company up, though I don't have the creativity to make up a song myself haha.**

**The word _delva_ is a term of endearment among dwarves- I've basically just looked online for it :) I got the idea from other fanfiction, but I found my own word that I haven't seen used before. :)**

**I really hoped this chapter was alright. When I was writing it, I kept coming to an argument between Fili/Amelia no matter what I did, so I rolled with it. I also wanted to put some more light hearted interactions with the company before they ventured into Mirkwood.**

**Thanks to my new followers/favouriters and reviewers (meganbuttorff1982, thank you for your review!). You guys are incredible. Stay safe :) **


	16. Sleeping Giants

At first, travelling through Mirkwood forest wasn't that bad. Our bags were heavy, but we had plenty of food and large sacks of water to last a long time, and we carried on in relatively high spirits. Despite having to go through the forest, the company were happy that they were getting closer and closer to Erebor.

Their good moods dissipated more and more with each day we were in the darkness, until nothing but grumbles and groans escaped past their lips. Part of this was due to the darkness that continued without any lapse; for the most part though, the lightening of our rucksacks was what put a damper on our moods.

We had begun to run out of food and fresh water. We had seen some small streams through the forest, and though they weren't black as Beorn had said, we didn't risk drinking from it. On the sixth or seventh night, Thorin had ordered Kili to try and shoot some squirrel down from the trees. Bilbo tried to remind Thorin that Beorn said not to eat anything from the forest, but Thorin was concerned about how long our food would last. To be honest, I had been pretty worried too.

After various attempts, Kili had finally hit his mark. A small squirrel had dropped from branch above us and onto the dark forest floor. We hadn't been setting fires for the first few days, but that night Gloin lit one to cook the squirrel. The small creature wasn't enough to feed the whole company; it looked undernourished itself. Fili and Bofur tried to get me to eat a morsel of it instead of them, but I refused every time they had insisted.

I was glad that I hadn't eaten any of it. The rest of the dwarves began to chew on the little meat there was, and had instantly spat and coughed it out as if they were eating rotting meat.

"What is this foul food? Are you trying to poison us, laddie?" Oin had called out, glaring at Kili. Kili tried to defend himself, and so began the start of their arguing. I tuned out as the rest of the company joined in, but instead I had looked into the forest surrounding us. There wasn't much I could see past the first line of trees that were glowing dimly from the fire light.

The more I tried to see into the darkness, the more uncomfortable I had felt. It was as though something was watching me, watching us from the darkness. Thorin seemed to feel the same way; he had quickly stopped the company's petty arguments, ordered the fire to be put out and organised first watch.

We had all gone to sleep hungry and tense that night. I barely slept, and when I did, it was filled with nightmares. The rest of the company realised that I was plagued with my horrible dreams on the first night. The constant watches and tension hindering our sleep meant that no one moved or spoke without at least one other person noticing. That night, it was both Fili and Nori who had woken me from my nightmares. Nori had been hesitant when I asked him not to tell Thorin, but he reluctantly agreed; I really didn't want Thorin to question my ability to keep travelling with the company.

The night after that, Thorin had been on watch. I had woken up to Fili, who was holding me in his arms, when I realised that Thorin was there, his face laced with an expression of criticism. My stomach had just sunk.

Thorin asked me about my nightmares, though without any kindness or concern in his expression. He was still just a mask, leaving nothing to decipher. Without any other words, he left to continue his watch.

I didn't sleep the rest of that night.

That had been more than two weeks ago now. The company were truly miserable at this stage and our water had almost run out. We were almost starving; because our food was quickly disappearing, our rations became smaller and smaller. Kili had considered trying to shoot down another squirrel to erase the hunger that we felt, but even then we didn't want to attempt to eat that rotting meat again.

Even Bofur, Josh, Kili and Fili were so dejected that they barely said a word. No one wanted to speak, mainly because there was nothing to say that would keep our spirits up, but also because the itching feeling that I had of being watched was shared by the company. Because we hadn't lit any more fires after that night, we could too clearly see the glowing of eyes all around us.

Once we had realised this, we had huddled closer together as a group when we stopped to sleep for the nights. Despite their traditions that strictly forbade the close proximity of males and females while they slept, the company were very strong about protecting their women. They made sure that each night I was sleeping in the midst of them; I was just about boxed in.

Usually I would be uncomfortable about this. Balin had been the one to explain to me that dwarves were very protective about females, whether they were kin or not, to the point where they were seen as 'their' women. Normally I would argue about how sexist it was that the females were basically seen as possessions, but to be honest in this situation it made me feel safe.

I asked Balin about Thorin; obviously from my encounters with him, he hadn't seen me as someone to protect. Hell, he had just about broken my ribs from the fight we had gotten into.

"Thorin is different in some aspects; he feels as though no one is worth his time or protection unless they have earned his respect. This he applies to women also." I couldn't fault Thorin there; it was surprisingly a very modern outlook, despite him still being a broody and grumpy Dwarf.

Fili seemed to be a bit uncomfortable about the sleeping arrangements; from the way he reacted when it was organised, I guessed that it was because he didn't want to break any more traditions than he already had.

However, when it came down to it, he slept closer to me than he had before. From then I realised the reason behind his reaction; he didn't want me to be sleeping close to other members of the company. When I guessed his reaction, I couldn't help but laugh. _Of course he was the jealous type._

The company had all silently acknowledged the bracelet that Fili had given me, and knew that he had begun courtship. When Bofur had eyed it at the beginning of our venture through Mirkwood, he grinned at me and winked; his eyes full of mirth. The older Dwarves sighed and looked unhappy when they realised though; that didn't surprise me to be honest. I was still waiting for Thorin to say something to me about the whole thing, though I figured he had other things on his mind for the moment.

The days were beginning to blur into one whole jumble of hunger, darkness and anxiety. I could only vaguely tell where day met night, as it was almost constantly dark. There was a point in what I figured was each day though, where the dark we were in was less dark. I presumed that it was the middle of the day, and I was able to count how many we had spent in the forest.

We were on sixteen when I stopped counting.

Our hopes were almost non-existent when we came across the black river Beorn had told us about. That was when the little hope there was left was thrown out the window. Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Nori scouted around the banks to the right and left of where we stood, but there was no way across.

I looked into the running water, and what I saw made my skin crawl. The blackness of the river was nothing like I had seen before; it flowed without noise and without ripple. It was as though it was a whole, singular body, something living and sinister in itself that made me feel conflicted. On one hand, my instincts told me to run away from it. Everything in my body was telling me to get as far away as possible, except for a small feeling I had in the back of my mind.

It was this urge; this niggling feeling that I had that was telling me to get nearer, to take a closer look. My gaze was transfixed on the river, until I heard Bilbo exclaim from beside me.

"Look! Across the river, there is a boat!" I squinted my eyes in an attempt to see where he was pointing to, but I honestly couldn't see past a few metres in front of me. It seemed as though the company felt the same way; none of them were able to see a boat at all.

"There is nothing there," Dwalin grumbled to Bilbo, turning his back away from the hobbit. Bilbo wasn't having any of it though.

"Trust me, I can see it! It is drawn up on the other side of the river, on the far shore. If we were to tie a hook to our rope, we could throw it and pull it across to us!" The company did nothing but complain. I could see there being another argument over what we were going to do next, except Thorin interrupted.

"We shall attempt Bilbo's plan. Kili, tie the rope to one of the hooks. Bilbo will be your eyes, and you will throw the hook to anchor the boat." Josh and I watched on as the company began to work on the plan. I tried to keep my eyes from the surface of the water, but my gaze kept drifting to the darkness. I wonder what lurked just below the surface.

I mentally shook myself. Why would I want to know that! I glared at the river and took a few steps backwards, dragging Josh by the arm as I did so. He looked at me curiously before saying something.

"What's wrong?" He asked under his breath, as he watched Kili and Bilbo. The hobbit was pointing to the direction of the boat and with each one of Kili's attempts, Bilbo would say just how far away he was from the mark.

"The river feels wrong, Josh. All I want to do is run, but I can't stop staring, wanting to get a closer look. How does it make you feel?" I looked up at him, and by the grim expression on his face, I knew before he spoke that he felt the same.

"I feel like I want to touch the water, and I am so damn thirsty. I need something to drink." He was looking back at the water, his eyes as though they were glazed over. I grabbed his arm again and shook it roughly, breaking his trance.

"Don't drink the water Josh, don't even touch it. You heard what Beorn said about it. I know how tempting it is, but try and hold onto the gut feeling you have." He nodded with a grimace. There was a loud noise then, and we turned to hear the exclamations of Kili.

"I think I have hit the mark! Pull the rope in!" Kili, Fili and Dwalin all pulled at the rope, but to no avail; the rope didn't give at all.

"It must be stuck!" Dwalin yelled, "Quick lads, help us pull!" It took Gloin, Nori, Balin and Dori to help and pull free the boat. Quickly they drew it across the stream, working through the current that fought against their efforts.

Finally, the boat in question came into view. I felt my stomach sink with the sight; it was made out of wood that looked rotted and broken in places. There was no way the crappy little thing would hold more than four at a time, and even that would be a far stretch.

"That's it? That's the boat?" Bilbo cried, looking deflated and defeated. The company groaned and grumbled about the chances of being able to get across the river unscathed. I felt the exact same way. It seemed as though Thorin was going to continue to be our motivation this journey, as he broke through the dwarves complaints with swift orders.

"Kili, tie another length of rope to one of your arrows and shoot it into a tree on the far shore. Bilbo, you will help him hit his target, and then tie the rope around a tree on this side. We shall use that as our guide across, as there are no oars and the current is strong. Dwalin, Ori, Bilbo and I will be first, followed by Master Joshua, Miss Amelia, Bofur and Kili, then Fili, Nori, Gloin and Oin, Bifur, Dori and Balin, and lastly Bombur.

Kili moved to tie the rope and shoot an arrow into a far tree with Bilbo's help, while Bombur was the only to complain about the arrangements.

"I am always last, by my beard, and by myself no less! Why is this always the way?" It was his brother Bofur to quickly pull him into check.

"It is because your stomach is as round as three of us combined, and to send you first would to mean that no one else would be able to cross! Now quit complaining." Bombur huffed at Bofur then, but kept silent.

"We will use the rope with the hook to draw the boat back to this side of the shore. Now hurry! I wish to be away from this accursed river." With Thorin's words, Ori, Bilbo, Dwalin and himself slowly and carefully moved into the old and moulding boat. Kili had tied the other end of the rope to a tree close to us, and the four in the boat used it to guide their way across.

It was slow going; Thorin and Dwalin steered the boat so that there were no sudden movements to upset the already precarious build of the boat. After a long while, they finally made it across without any problems. The only way we were able to tell that they had gotten across, however, was from their yells that came from the other side. We still couldn't see them, which was very unnerving. I became increasingly worried about Bilbo and Ori, and how they was faring.

We quickly pulled the boat back towards our side of the shore and moved to climb into it. Fili and Oin steadied the boat as the four of us sat down in the old wooden wreck. I looked at Fili as Bofur and Kili began to move us across the water. He looked more worried than I had seen him in a long while, his eyes glancing between Kili and I.

I watched him and the remaining company on the shore as they slowly left my view. From there I looked towards the opposite shore, to where Bilbo, Thorin, Dwalin and Ori were standing, now in my sight. It was relieving to see them, and I couldn't wait to get out of the wretched boat. After a little bit of time, we made it over to the shore.

Dwalin helped each of us out carefully, and my eyes now turned to the others in an attempt to see them. We called out to them, and they immediately pulled the boat back to their side. While I was happy to be out of the reach of the water, I wouldn't feel fully relieved until the whole company were away from the disgusting river.

After about ten long minutes of waiting, Fili, Nori, Gloin and Oin came into view. As they reached the shore, we helped them out quickly, and the process was repeated. Excepting the yells that were called across to the remaining members of the company, no one spoke. The tension hung in the air as thick as the humid heat of the forest.

Finally, it was Bombur who was the last to cross. We began to constantly call to him to make sure that he was alright, and after an even longer time than any of the other crossings, he finally came into view. The tension began to melt away as the boat came closer and finally reached the shore.

The relief was short-lived though; in a blur of events that I barely registered, I heard the sound of an animal behind us and the cry of the company. Turning around, I saw a figure break through the tree line and head straight towards us.

In an instant, Kili notched his bow and sent an arrow straight into the creature. With a high pitched shriek, it tumbled towards the group, before falling into the river and being swept away into the blackness where I could no longer see it.

At the same time, there was a cry from Bombur, and another splash. I looked in time to see Dwalin and Bifur attempt to pull Bombur out of the water, and the yells from the dwarves were all I could hear.

It took Dori and Gloin to help as well in pulling Bombur from the water; I knew he was large, but that wasn't the whole reason it took four of them to drag him onto the shore.

Bombur was sleeping. Like he had actually, legitimately fallen asleep.

I couldn't believe it. Oin moved to the fallen giant, and looked over him to make sure he was alright. Bombur simply snored, his deep breathing the only sound made until Oin spoke.

"He has fallen under spell from the magic of the river. He will not wake now for some time I expect." The company groaned and tried to think of how we could move him, but it seemed nearly impossible. Of course it had to be great old, food-loving Bombur to fall into a magic-induced sleep.

"What if we use the wooden planks from the boat and some rope to carry Bombur along on? That way we could drag him instead of try and lift him, because that is obviously not going to happen." I looked to Josh with a small smirk at his good thinking.

The others agreed, and began to work quickly. Before I knew it, the company had assembled a make-shift carrier for Bombur and they started to drag him along through the forest, following the path. I followed behind the company, walking very slowly due to Bombur's lack of ability to walk, let alone wake up.

I vaguely noticed someone standing by my side, and when a familiar hand grasped mine gently and squeezed, I smiled. Fili looked to me with a smile of relief, before walking ahead to his brother and clapping him on the back.

Spending almost every single day of the last two and a half months with the company didn't lessen the feelings that filled my heart each time I saw Fili and Kili together. Their sibling love for each other was just so innocent and pure; they protected each other and were there through thick or thin.

I held onto the feelings of love and respect I had for the brothers as we continued on into the gloom.

When we stopped for camp that night, we realised that most of our water had now run out, and our food was completely gone. I couldn't even express how upset and angry it made me, to be stuck in the middle of the god forsaken forest without enough supplies to get us past the next day or two.

The large water sacks that I had been carrying for the past few weeks were now completely dry, I realised as I sipped the last few mouthfuls of my water. This whole situation couldn't have been any more miserable, I swear.

We were going to die in this damned forest and no one was going to know. Not that anyone besides this company would care; we had already been missing from our world for months, and I doubted that the elves of Rivendell would miss the stubborn and rude dwarves.

For a lot of that night, I inwardly cursed myself as I had done many times before, for getting Josh into all of this. _Why didn't we leave when we had the chance,_ I thought bitterly to myself. _At least we wouldn't be left to die in a damned forest. _It took a few hours to convince myself that neither Josh nor I would have made a different choice if we were to go back and decide again. In his stubbornness, Josh would have still continued on if he knew what was ahead. Then there was me in my stubbornness, as I would have stayed with him no matter what I felt like doing.

Bombur still hadn't woken up. I asked Oin if there was anything we could do to wake him, but he sighed in frustration.

"There are no 'erbs in this forest that I would risk using to attempt and wake him. I cannot do anything but wait for him to awaken." He looked over to the sleeping Dwarf with a frown on his face, and trundled over to check on him again.

The company were truly miserable that night. We huddled close together, most of us too sick with hunger and thirst to sleep, and the others too worried about the glowing eyes that surrounded us. I closed my eyes in an attempt to block out our surroundings, but the tingling up my spine reminded me that we were being watched.

I had begun to doze off when I heard a cry from Gloin, who sat close by. I snapped my eyes open and jolted upright in an attempt to try and see around me. There was only darkness though. I felt around me, trying to find the dwarf that lay next to me.

Finding his hand reassured me, because the company were now fully awake and trying to find out the source of Gloin's outburst. It was absolutely terrible in the pitch black to try and figure out what was going on, but finally everyone calmed down enough to listen to him.

"There was a light out there! Through the trees! Didn't you see it?" He cried out in the darkness. There were hushed mutters as we scanned the darkness around us. After a long time, Dwalin spoke angrily to Gloin.

"Has the lack of food dulled your wits? There is nothing there!" And thus began their arguments, for the millionth time in this forest. Their yelling only stopped when Bombur stirred from his sleep and woke up; the relief that the company felt that they wouldn't have to carry him anymore was short lived though.

"I had such wonderful dreams of food and ale! There was a banquet, where plates and bowls were full of dozens of types of cheese, and oh! All of the meat!" When Bombur started to speak about how delicious the food in his dreams was, the company were outraged, including myself.

"We haven't eaten proper food in days, Bombur, be quiet!" I yelled amongst the other shouts of anger. It was when I was glaring into the distance that I saw something; a flicker of light glowed warm and orange.

"Guys!" I tried to say, firmly fixing my gaze on the light in the case that it disappeared again. No one was listening to me though, they were still arguing amongst themselves.

"Oi! Can you lot shut up!" I yelled at the top of my voice, frustrated that they couldn't stop arguing for five minutes. They quickly quietened, and I explained to them that I could see a light through the trees. It took a little while to direct them to look the right way, but soon they all saw it.

We were silent for a short while as we looked at the light. It quickly doubled, and tripled, and soon there were many lights through the tree line. Through our silence, we realised that we could hear high-toned laughing and singing.

"Elves," Thorin spat. Even though I couldn't see him, I could imagine the scowl deep on his face. "We make for the lights and stay hidden until my move. We will force them to lead us out of this wretched forest."

Now that there were more lights, we could vaguely see what was going on around us. As quietly as they could, the Dwarves gathered the little belongings we now had and unsheathed their weapons. I gulped in nervous anticipation; I didn't want anything to happen or anyone to get hurt, but I wanted out of this forest immediately.

We moved slowly through the forest towards the lights. It wasn't until we had moved closer that I realised we had strayed from the path. We had done exactly what Gandalf and Beorn had been adamant that we didn't do.

Warning bells were ringing in the back of my mind but we had already left the path. The only chance we had now was to try and get the elves to help us out of the forest, and I hoped that they were as friendly as Arwen and Galadriel had been in Rivendell. When we had finally made it to the trees surrounding the lights, which were radiating from torches spread around in a clearing, my jaw gaped open.

There was a giant table stretching through the clearing; piles and piles of food was spread out on top of it, mirroring exactly what Bombur had described in his dreams. The only difference was that I could see dozens of Elves sitting around the table, drinking, eating and laughing. A number of them were singing and playing instruments as well, and the songs were beautiful, though in an odd way.

They weren't like the Dwarvish songs; the ones that the Elves were singing sounded almost fake compared to the way I had heard Bofur and the others sing with their voices full of cheer. It sent chills down my spine, though rather unpleasantly.

The food on the table was making my mouth water and my stomach rumble. I hadn't eaten properly in days, and the sight was truly overwhelming. I had taken a few steps forward when I was snapped out of it by Thorin.

While I had been hungrily observing the food in the clearing, Thorin had jumped out in front of the Elves, his sword drawn.

"Lead us out of this forest, or we will resort to force!" He roared, and the rest of us jumped into the clearing behind him. The Elves just went completely silent and stared at us. My gaze went to the blonde Elf at the head of the table, who looked at Thorin with a mix of disgust and rage. That was the last thing I saw when the torches suddenly extinguished.

I had never felt so disorientated in my life- well, besides when I had been stabbed with a dagger-but at least then I had been able to see. Right now, my eyes were wide open but I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.

The company were yelling and shouting each other's names, trying to find each other wherever we were. I had quickly put my blades away in fear that I was going to stab someone with them, and I prayed that the others had done the same.

I felt so lost, frantically feeling my way around me to try and find someone. Despite their yelling, it was so damn hard to try and find them, and I could feel my lungs tightening in fear. We had left the path and there was a slim chance we would be able to find it again; with that in mind, not being able to find the rest of the company would mean I would be lost in the forest forever. My whole body shook with the thought and a small sob escaped my lips.

"Josh! Fili! Bilbo?" I called out to them, the fear evident in my shaky voice. The anxiety I held for myself paled in comparison to how scared I began to feel for Josh. I couldn't discern his voice amongst the chorus of shouts, and the fear began to cripple me. I tried to move towards the voices, but my legs wouldn't cooperate. My breathing was becoming laboured as I stood completely alone in the darkness.

The impact of someone running into me caught me off guard, and I yelped in surprise. I began to fall, reaching out into the darkness for anything to grasp onto. I would have hit the ground hard if they hadn't reached out and caught me by the hands. Whoever it was pulled me upright and held me tightly by the arm.

"Lass? Is that you?" The voice I recognised as Balin's, and I felt so relieved knowing that I wasn't alone anymore.

"Yeah it's me, Balin. Hold onto me so I don't lose you, please?" Balin hadn't said anything, but linked my arm in his and patted my hand in reassurance. We didn't speak or yell out anyone's names again, but instead moved towards the others who were making a hell of a lot of noise. Having Balin by my side made me feel much more aware of what was going on around me instead of becoming shut down by my fear.

I quickly recognised Josh's voice and dragged Balin towards him.

"Josh," I whispered, and he calmed down enough so I was able to grab onto his arm and keep him close to me. My grip on their arms was so tight that I thought I would soon cut off circulation, but I didn't care. There was no way I was going to be lost and alone in the darkness again, and I would die before Josh was by himself in this forest for even another single moment.

This lasted for so long that I felt as though I was going to pass out from exhaustion. We had grouped together quite a number of us by the sound and feel of it, all linked by the arms, but I had no idea who was there and who wasn't. The dwarves wouldn't stop talking and arguing for long enough to try and figure out who was where, and I was getting fed up.

"Can you thick-headed Dwarves just shut up!" I shouted into the blackness at them, and I was relieved that they had become silent.

"We need to figure out who is here. I'm going to say everyone's name and reply with yes if you are here, okay? Everyone else just shut it until I say your name, or so help me god I will beat each and every one of you." Silence. Thank fuck for that.

I quickly worked through each name, making sure that I counted each one off on my fingers so I didn't miss anyone. All of them answered with a short and sharp 'yes', all except for Bilbo and Thorin. They weren't with us.

My stomach heaved so violently that I thought I was going to be sick; we were missing them. Where were they? Had they gotten lost? Were they hurt? Had they been taken by the Elves? A thousand thoughts ran through my mind and I felt dizzy at the speed at which these scenarios played out in my head.

The company were arguing about what to do; they had lost Thorin, their leader, and Bilbo. We couldn't move because we couldn't see half a metre in front of us, but we couldn't just sit there and wait, hoping that they would come back.

It was a movement from close by that both silenced the arguments from the Dwarves, and decided what we were to do from there. At first we thought that it was Thorin and Bilbo, but we couldn't have been more wrong.

Dozens of glowing eyes blinked into existence next to us, as scuffling sounds surrounded us. Whatever they were, they were enclosing and suffocating us where we stood. I felt like my nightmares had come to life. I was trapped and in the dark, but the only thing that anchored me to hope and to reality was the arms beside me that I gripped onto with all my strength.

I could hear yells and shouts from the company; their deafening cries terrified me to the core. I couldn't see them, I didn't know if they were alright, and I didn't know what was happening to us. There was a strange sensation I felt across my back, before I was grasped by my shoulders and dragged backwards.

When I was suddenly torn from the grip of Balin and Josh, I screamed and thrashed against whatever had taken me from them. A sharp pain tore up the side of my body, and I cried from the complete agony of the sensation.

That's when I collapsed into unconsciousness, the sounds of my friend's shouts fading into the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to Fleursuoh, Promise1982, and Shadowsammy for your great reviews! (Shadowsammy- yeah, Amelia had a few very embarrassing moments in the last few chapters, but I swear I don't mean to do it on purpose! :P) Also hello to my new followers and favouriters!<strong>

**I will try to get my next chapter up as soon as I can, but I have just started a new job (as well as juggling uni) so hopefully it isn't longer than a week between each :)**

**Have a great weekend!**


	17. Caught Like a Fly

"A-Ameliaa…"

"Wake… W-wake up.."

My head was pounding. My hearing was fuzzy. There was a dull pain in my side that confused me. What happened? Did I get hurt? Why couldn't I move?

My stomach heaved and I knew I was going to be sick. My world spun around me and I tried to focus on something other than my nausea.

Where was I? I tried to look around, but my vision was blurred. Everything felt upside down, and my head throbbed.

I groaned, realising that my mouth and throat were completely dry. How long had I been asleep? When was the last time I had something to drink? I felt light-headed and dehydrated.

My vision slowly came back into focus. It wasn't completely pitch-black, so it wasn't night time anymore. I could see shapes around me as I glanced around.

Finally I realised why everything felt wrong. I was upside down. I was literally hanging upside down, and I couldn't move.

I struggled against what held me immobile, but whatever it was, was bound so tight that I couldn't move my arms or hands at all. I frantically glanced around me to try and see where the company were.

The last moments before I blacked out rushed back to me. We had been in the forest; we had left the path to go after the Elves. We had lost Bilbo and Thorin. Then something had attacked us, and it had gone dark.

As if to remind me of when I had lost the company, the side of my body started to throb in pain. I moaned in discomfort that was beginning to turn into a full panic attack. My breathing hitched in my throat and I tried again to break out of what bound me.

"Amelia?"

I stopped moving when I heard the voice of someone close by. They sounded so weak that I barely heard it at all; who was it? I strained to hear them speak again, and when they did I realised that it was Josh.

"Josh? Josh, where are you?" I tried to yell out, but my voice was hoarse and my throat was dry. I was about to yell out to him again when I heard a scuffling sound to my left. The sounds got louder and then I heard clicking noises from all directions.

All I wanted to do was try and ignore what was happening and close my eyes, but I couldn't find it in me to shut them. It was as though I was watching a car accident; I just couldn't look away from the shapes that came into view.

The shape of the figures absolutely terrified me. They had many long, thin legs and huge bodies. The creatures.. I knew exactly what they were. _Oh my god,_ they were spiders. It wasn't that they were small ones either; what horrified me is that they were enormous, giant spiders.

Why did everything have to be oversized here?

The things were crawling all around us and over me, clicking as they twitched along. My skin crawled every moment they touched me or came close to my face. I felt completely useless. I was unable to get myself out of this mess, let alone anyone else. I couldn't even move.

I didn't know what else to do but scrunch my eyes closed and hope for a way out. It took longer than it should have for me to realise that doing nothing was probably the worst course of action I could take.

_No_, I thought to myself. _Hoping isn't going to get you anywhere._ I had to think of a way out of this before the spiders did anything. That truly made me feel like a fly caught in their web, and everyone knows what happens to trapped flies.

I gulped and tried to wrack my mind for anything I could do. What I assumed was webbing that I was cocooned in, wouldn't give way to my bare hands. I had to get something sharp to cut through it.

My blades were at my sides, I could feel it, but I didn't know if I could reach them. Despite my doubts, I tried anyway. The spiders were moving faster around me, knocking my body as if I was just a speck of insignificance.

The clicking was becoming louder and louder until the noise deafened my ears; I thought I could hear muffled cries and yelps from around me but I couldn't be sure. One of the creatures was twitching across my body, rocking me from where I was hanging. Nausea washed over me once more and I suddenly felt overwhelmingly claustrophobic.

I struggled against the webs and the spider crawling across me, forgetting all thoughts of using my blades and logically trying to find a way out. The suffocating feeling I had was at the forefront of my mind; I had to get out, and I had to get out now.

"Get off of me! Get off!" I screamed, attempting to kick away the spider that was crawling over me, its pointed legs digging into my body. They pressed harder into so many parts of my body that I couldn't pinpoint where the pain was coming from.

I cried against the pain that the creature was causing, and tried even harder to shake the thing off. The spider was unrelenting though, as it moved its disgusting face close to mine. It had hundreds of eyes of different sizes that blinked in the dim light, and its fangs as large as my arms clicked at me menacingly. I couldn't even fight anymore. Fear locked me in place as I stared in horror at the eyes that looked over me, in what I thought looked like hunger.

Holy shit, this could not be happening. I was about to get eaten by a spider.

The piercing shrieks that came next made my head ring and my body shudder. The spider that had been crawling over my body suddenly disappeared. I felt as though their absence would be short-lived though, and I began to strain my hands in an attempt to reach my blades again.

They were gone for the moment though. I sighed in relief, but I felt overwhelmingly terrified. Was this really happening?

I idly wondered if I had in fact hit my head so hard all those months ago that it caused me to go into a coma or something. This couldn't be real. Surely this wasn't something that could truly exist. As if to disagree with my thoughts, the ache in my sides and over my body worsened. This wasn't something that I could dream up, not in a hundred years. I just had to try and accept the fact that we were being attacked by giant, mutated spiders as something that was real.

_Better said than done._

My inner turmoil was momentarily interrupted when I heard a very quiet whispering from close by, followed by a sound similar to fabric being ripped and a muffled yelp.

The area was so dark that I could only make out shapes around me that I had only guessed to be the rest of the company, but they were now disappearing one by one. What the fuck was going on? I frantically struggled again against what held me. It was a small voice that I heard from beside me that made me almost cry in shock and then happiness.

"Amelia, it's me, shh." It was Bilbo, thank my lucky stars. I felt relief encircle me before the sound of tearing fabric was heard and I began to freefall.

I swore incoherently as everything spun around me and I fell violently against the ground. My side shot in pain and I moaned from the sudden impact.

It took a few seconds to realise what was happening around me. I heard a lot of heavy movement and some voices, though mostly grunts and groans that were indecipherable. The webbing that still cocooned me was quickly ripped away from someone working from the outside.

From the quiet whispers of Bilbo near to me, I quickly guessed that it was him that had managed to free me. As soon as I could get my arms and feet detangled from the web, I rose to my feet.

It wasn't a good idea.

I stumbled back to the ground, retching what little there was in my stomach. My nausea only vaguely subsided after I so elegantly threw up, but slowly I moved back to the noises of the company. Apparently I wasn't the only one that was having a hard time from the ordeal.

Finally I felt like my vision had properly come back into focus; it seemed to be lighter now, and I could distinguish the differences between each member of the company. I wanted to make sure that Josh was alright, though I quickly realised he was the easiest to find due to his height.

It looked as though he had involuntarily rid his body of its stomach contents as well, and was doubled over himself, his hands clutching his knees. I wobbled to his side to check on him.

"Josh.. Are you okay.." I said weakly, still not trusting my body after how it reacted from the fall.

"The spiders… Their venom.. That's why we are sick. They stung us to knock us out.." I realised that the pain from my side, the pain I had felt when I blacked out must have been from one of the spiders injecting me with its venom.

My stomach lurched in the thought of it and I ran towards a shape that looked like a tree. I felt my body ache as I tried to throw up but there was nothing left. By now I was surely beyond dehydrated, and I knew that there wasn't going to be long left.

The strength was leaving my body with each moment and I didn't have the will or the power to fight it anymore. When I heard a muted clicking sound from through the trees, I almost didn't move from where I stood. It wasn't because I was completely terrified, but because I couldn't do it anymore.

I almost gave up, but I didn't.

My feet stumbled across the ground as I moved quickly back to the company. I thought that no one had heard the sound of spiders from beyond the trees, but it was Bilbo who I heard alert us.

"They are coming back! Quickly, we must draw our weapons!" There was an eruption of yells, the sound of metal clinking, and clicking and scurrying noises that met my ears. Déjà vu washed over me as I could see everything happening all over again.

I drew my weapons from my now unconfined sides, and waited for the creatures to crawl out from behind the trees. Fear rolled off of me in waves as my body tensed. I felt as though my body was going to completely shut down.

The only thing that kept me holding on was the fourteen people that were standing close to me. I tried to think about them, rather than what was currently convulsing from the depths of tree's shadows.

The spiders began to shriek as the company began to yell, and I braced for the repulsive creatures about to suffocate us again. It didn't come though; the spiders had continued to shriek in what I could only interpret as pain, but I could hear a flurry of other noises around me.

One of the spiders had scrambled from behind a tree towards me, and before I could even move my blades or take in a breath to scream, the creature stopped dead in its tracks. I saw something protrude from its head as it twitched and writhed in its place before collapsing to the ground.

From their bewildered shouts, the company were as confused as I was. Before I could figure out who or what had killed them, an arrow appeared in front of my face, notched and pointed right between my eyes.

I moved back into the middle of the company as quickly as I could, with both my eyes on the weapon that was aimed at me. Looking up, I could see the creature on the other side of the bow.

It was an Elf; the only reason I was able to figure it out was because they looked remarkably similar to the Elves we had met in Rivendell. They were incredibly tall and their features were so fine and exact. Their cheekbones and jawlines were very well pronounced, and there was no mistaking the pointed ears.

When I looked into the eyes of the Elf in front of me though, shivers crept up my spine. I could see anger and disgust in his eyes as he looked over the company, and when he looked back at me I saw pity.

I narrowed my eyes at him while I heard another Elf speak from the other side of the company. It seemed as though they had us completely surrounded, weapons aimed towards each of us.

"What is your business in Mirkwood, Dwarves," he spat. I didn't even need to look at him to know that his features would reflect the contempt and repulsion I could hear in his voice. None of the Dwarves replied, and I heard a loud '_thwack'_ that sounded from close to me.

There was a muffled grunt and then a chorus of outraged yells and shouts. I didn't see what happened, but I could only guess that they had hit one of us. I clenched my blades tightly in an attempt to rein in the anger that surged through my whole being. I couldn't believe they had just hit one of my friends; one of my family.

All I wanted to do was wipe the smug look off of the Elf in front of me. When he looked back to me and saw my response to his own reaction, he smirked even more.

"If you will not answer us, then we shall take you to the halls of King Thranduil. There, you will not be so stubborn. _Tirith_, unarm them."

The Elves that held their weapons in hand did not move an inch, but instead a number of Elves appeared and glided past them to take our weapons off of us. I clutched my twin blades in my hands, more than hesitant to give them up.

They had protected me and helped me more times than I could count now. When I had been close to death and when Josh had been at risk, I had used them to defend myself and him. Though I was rather inefficient with them, they had done me good.

Thinking about being without them made me feel even sicker, but the Elf in front of me had his hands outstretched towards me, waiting impatiently. I heard the mutters of the Dwarves surrounding me in what sounded like swearing in Khazdul, as the clinks of their weapons sounded in the air.

I reluctantly turned over my dual swords into the hands of the Elf. My feeling of unease grew ten-fold as soon as they left my fingers; there was no way I could defend myself properly now. I moved even further into the midst of the company, just about squishing myself in between whoever was around me.

When the Elves shoved against our shoulders to get us to start walking, Balin and Fili moved to either side of me. I quickly realised that I was in the middle of the close-proximity company, surrounded on all sides by the Dwarves. It made me feel much safer, but my legs were beginning to falter. I couldn't keep walking for much longer.

I felt Fili's hand move to mine and hold it tightly. I squeezed his hand back, and looked up at him. His hair was a mess, and the braids that he had in his moustache had come loose, only held at the ends by the metal beads there.

My eyes roamed to his temple and I realised that there was fresh blood there. It was dripping down the side of his face and into his hair and beard. My vision blurred with rage. _Those fucking elves. _

It was Fili they had hit. My grip on his hand tightened when I realised what they had done to him. Rage and loathing ignited every cell and nerve in my body; no longer did I feel like I was going to collapse. Adrenalin seemed to have begun to course throughout my veins.

I had only felt this way twice before. The first time was when I had protected Josh from our father, the last day we were in our world. The second time was when I found out that Josh had been abused by him for a year I was at university.

Fili nudged my shoulder slightly to get my attention, and I looked back up to him. He must have seen in my eyes what I was feeling, because he shook his head and looked at me sadly.

I held onto the anger that I felt to keep my body functioning, but held onto Fili's hand to remind me to keep myself calm enough not to do anything stupid. It took more effort than it should have to keep hold of that point in between attacking the Elves and passing out.

We walked for what felt like forever, but in reality it was probably only an hour or less. The elves didn't calm down on rough-handling us either. I didn't get the full brunt of it, but every time they laid a hand on my friends I literally had to bite my tongue in an attempt to stop myself from screaming at them.

Instead, I thought of as many vulgar profanities that I could come up with for when I did have a chance to yell at them. Right now though, I felt as though they would hurt the Dwarves and Josh even more if I was to say anything.

These Elves were so different from the ones at Rivendell. Not only did they look at us with absolute disgust and loathing in their eyes, but they were rough and weren't afraid to hurt us. Elrond, Galadriel and Arwen had been so well-mannered and it seemed as though they genuinely wanted to help us, which they had.

It made me miss Arwen in a way; she had been so kind to me in only the few days I had known her, and she was someone that I really hoped I would see again. I didn't know if that was going to be possible now. These Elves were taking us to their King, and I didn't expect that he would be any more welcoming than his lap dogs here.

The forest had begun to clear quickly now, giving way to light and fresh air and the sound of running water. My eyes almost hurt with the brightness; it wasn't direct sunlight, but it streamed through the trees above us. It was still more than I had seen in weeks. The plants and trees around us here looked very much alive and thriving; it was an almost welcoming sight after seeing nothing but decaying and rotting trees throughout the start of our journey through the forest.

Finally, we walked out of the edge of the tree-line. Before us was a large clearing, where a bridge stretched out towards a magnificently large building. The walls were not like those in Rivendell though; they were dark grey in colour, without windows and looming above us.

We began to walk across the bridge, still surrounded by the elves. I looked to either side of the bridge to see a waterfall streaming down one side and flowing down the other, as far as I could see. There were only a few moments to stop and look as a large stone door was opened in front of us by two new elves.

We entered through the door, and I realised that calling this place a building was definitely an understatement. It was something that belonged in a movie, not in real life. The walls stretched upwards, almost never-ending; there were hundreds upon hundreds of candles and lanterns that hung from delicate hooks in the walls all around us.

The space we had just walked into looked like a large hall, and the only comparison I could make between it and something I had seen before was the Great Hall in the Harry Potter movies. Seriously. I mean, minus the tables, windows and the bewitched ceiling, it was as big as that the Great Hall.

There were a few moments where I was in absolute awe, until I remembered where I was and what the Elves had done to us already. My appreciation for their architecture then plummeted into the negatives.

I could hear the faint noises of rushing water and our own footsteps, but nothing else. The quiet of the area made me extremely anxious, and I wrapped my arm around one of Balin's for reassurance. He moved closer to me as we walked, unsure of what was going to happen next.

We walked through a smaller corridor that led on from the enormous hall we had just been in. It was just as well lit, but the small space reminded me of being trapped in the spiders webs, unable to move and unable to escape.

Thankfully, the corridor ended quickly and we emerged into a smaller, but much grander hall. In the middle of the space were steps, which led up to a great throne that overshadowed everything else in the room.

The throne itself was extravagant; it looked as though large antlers were placed atop the back of the seat, spreading out metres in either direction. I could only imagine what this Elf King would be like, and I did not want to meet him.

In moving closer to the throne, I realised that there was someone sitting in the shadows of it. The figure didn't say anything until we were shoved right in front of the steps, and the leader of the Elves that captured us stood forward.

"King Thranduil," he said, bowing slightly. "We found the rest of them at the fangs of the spiders. It was almost a shame not to let them finish off the dwarven-scum." At the words, the Elf stood from the shadows of his throne and graced down the steps.

When the light hit his face, I realised that it was the Elf I had seen in the forest that night when we had seen the torches. He was the one who had been sitting at the head of the table, the one that looked absolutely pissed off about his feast being interrupted.

As this Elf continued down the stairs, the one who had captured us continued to talk.

"There are also two humans with the twelve Dwarves. They must be prisoners themselves. No one would travel willingly with this filth." I felt both Balin and Fili tense under my grip, and I grit my teeth. These Elves were making me feel sick to the stomach, and I wasn't going to stand here and be treated this way.

His words didn't completely register until a few seconds later. Only twelve Dwarves? And where was Bilbo? I searched around me subtly, trying to find the Hobbit and Thorin. They definitely weren't with us. Where had Bilbo gone when he cut us out of the spiders clutches? I hadn't seen Thorin since we first confronted the Elves at their banquet, and that made me feel sick again.

They couldn't be gone. Surely they were okay?

I focused again on what the Elves were saying to each other. The Elf that had sat atop the throne was now closer to us, though still standing on the stairs, which made him seem even taller than he already was. I glared at him and his over-stated sense of self-worth.

I realised that he was the King and began to compare his demeanour to that of Elrond and Galadriel. They had radiated positivity and warmth, whereas waves of self-assured authority and contempt rolled off of this Elf.

I'm sure that my negative reaction to this Elf wasn't_ just_ because I was still enraged by how we were being treated. The sight of this King, Thranduil they had called him, made my skin crawl. The other reaction I had to him _was _probably a result of being captured though. He made me feel not just angry, but overwhelmed with anger. What right did he have to capture us and basically take us prisoner?

He had long, straight, blonde hair that reached his waist. A blood red and pearl white crown sat atop his head, with long, thin branches that stretched upwards in consistency around the circumference of the crown.

He was wearing what looked like a long robe, made of fine material like silk or satin. It was coloured a rich silver colour with many deep greens that flowed in intricate patterns around the fabric.

I stopped focusing on his attire when he finally spoke directly to us.

"What were you doing in my lands?" The Dwarves just glared at the King, before Bofur piped up. I was glad that he did, because I could see the leader Elf eyeing us as though he wanted to hit one of the Dwarves again.

"We were searching for food." Bofur was usually very cheerful, but his tone in that moment was flat and cold. If I hadn't seen him step forward and speak, I never would have believed that it was him that had spoken.

"Do not speak to me of lies, Dwarf. I want to know exactly why you were in my forest." Thranduil spoke arrogantly as he took the time to glare at each and every one of us. When he looked over Josh and I, I saw his eyebrows raise ever so slightly, before he continued to death-stare us.

"We needed to find some food, so we came searching through the forest," Dwalin spoke gruffly. I could almost see the King tense at the words, before he spoke again.

"Send the Dwarves and the male human to the dungeons. Do not feed them until they speak of their doings in the land of Mirkwood. Send the female human to one of the guest rooms, and take her food and water immediately."

I tightened my grip on Fili and Balin. They couldn't take me away from the company! They couldn't take me away from Josh! Each and every one of them mirrored my reaction, except they were more verbal in their responses.

Thranduil watched on with a small glint of amusement in his eyes, and that made me seethe with rage. He ended up calling over more guards, who began to grab at the Dwarves to take them away. My head swam with what was happening. I was going to be alone. They were going to be taken to the dungeons and starved.

What the fuck could I do?

Clutching onto the two Dwarves, I yelled when I was grabbed from around the waist and hauled away from them. I kicked and screamed and clawed at my attacker, as I watched the company struggling and fighting against their own assailants. My eyes went to Fili's, who was looking at me with absolute panic and trepidation written all over his face as an Elf grabbed him by the arms. He struggled against his captor then, ripping himself away in an attempt to run towards me.

"If you don't take your hands off of me I will rip you apart! Take me back to them! Don't you fucking take me away from them!" I screamed as loud as I could, making it hell for whoever held me. I didn't care. I wasn't going to let this happen, no way.

Josh was about to be thrown into a dungeon and basically tortured. Fili, Ori, Balin, all of them were about to be stripped of their basic rights as living beings, to eat and drink. These fucking Elves were not going to get away with it.

I swung my head forward, and in a swift movement I threw my head backwards, hitting the face of the Elf that held me. He yelped in pain and let me go. I dropped to the floor heavily, but quickly regained my footing. I began to run towards the company who were still struggling against their captors, when I realised that I had no idea what I was going to do now.

Without another thought about how practical my next move was, I launched myself at the leader Elf that had hit Fili and was now violently pushing Oin to the ground. The massive height difference made it extremely difficult, but I managed to jump high enough to wrap my arms over the Elf's shoulders, and climb upwards. I wrapped my legs around his torso and my arms around his neck tightly, causing the Elf to stumble away from Oin.

He was frantically grasping at my back, attempting to remove me but his efforts were doing nothing except giving me bruises and making me angrier. My grip tightened even more, though this time when he stumbled, he fell backwards.

It almost happened in slow motion when I realised exactly what was going to happen when I hit the ground. I braced myself as much as I could, but even then it wasn't enough.

My body connected with the stone floor, as the Elf landed squarely on top of me. The air rushed violently from my lungs as my vision blurred. Everything slowed down; the shouts around me, the movement of bodies from above me, the picking me up off of the ground.

I couldn't understand what was going on. I couldn't move my legs as I was carried away. I couldn't move my arms. My body was shutting down, and again, I was enveloped by the darkness of unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>I jolted upright from sleep despite my body's protests. My mind wasn't foggy like it usually was when I woke up; instead, I knew exactly where I was and what had happened before I passed out.<p>

I scanned my surroundings. I was sitting in a large bed that was in the corner of the dimly lit room I was in. There was a candle on a table in the far corner from where I sat, which was the only source of light. Next to it was a door, and I immediately swung my legs over the edge of the bed and made my way towards it.

My movements came to a halt when I actually realised how badly my body was hurting. I looked down at myself to realise that I was still in my dirty clothes. I sighed in relief though; I was glad that they hadn't taken my clothes off and changed me into something else. The thought of them touching me at all made me feel physically sick.

Searching the rest of the room, I found a small, intricate table that held a medium sized mirror on top. Backing away from the door and instead moving towards the table, I examined myself in the mirror. A small gasp escaped my lips when I saw myself for the first time in months.

My hair was a disgusting tangle of chocolate brown knots. It actually looked like a bird had begun to nest in my hair; there were even small twigs and leaves entwined in odd places. My face was the bigger shock though. Where I usually had almost chubby cheeks, they were now so hollow that my cheekbones were protruding slightly.

My eyes had dark bags underneath them, and my skin was covered in what looked like a combination of bruises and dirt. I quickly examined the rest of my body, attempting to assess how badly hurt I was.

I lifted my shirt and saw a large black and purple bruise on one side, surrounding a small puncture wound. My stomach rolled when I realised that was the mark left by the spiders. I looked over my arms and legs, and my back through the use of the mirror.

I guessed that at least half of my body was covered in bruises. I had some shallow cuts and grazes on my arms and back as well, but nothing too severe. The aching of my muscles was definitely a prominent feeling, as was the hunger in my stomach and the throbbing of my head.

I walked back towards the door, and before I opened it I glanced to the table where the candle was sitting. A tray sat there, covered in different types of fruit, cheeses and meat. Next to it was a large tankard which looked to be full of water.

My first instinct was to move towards the food and grab at it hungrily. I had almost put the large piece of meat to my lips when my brain kicked in.

From the unpleasant encounters I already had with these Elves, I knew that I shouldn't trust them. Despite my stomach growling in pain, the rational side of me knew that I shouldn't eat the food without being certain they hadn't done something to it.

I hesitantly put the food back onto the plate and placed a hand on the wooden door handle. Sucking in a deep breath of air, I slowly opened the door.

The corridor outside was much better lit than the room that I had been taken into. I poked my head around the walls of the room, trying to make sure no one was nearby before I began to move. It seemed as though it was all clear, but as I took a cautious step out of the threshold, a voice echoed from the corridor close to me.

"Where do you think you are off to?" The voice was harsh and silky smooth at the same time, which unnerved me greatly. I quickly moved backwards into the room and tried to slam the door shut behind me, but someone prevented me from doing so.

The pressure from the other side of the door forced me to give up on my idea, and I quickly moved to a far corner of the room. The Elf that had spoken opened the door the rest of the way, and glided into the centre of the room. He looked over me with a look of pity in his eyes, as if I was some defenceless little puppy.

I realised I had seen those eyes before. This was the same Elf that had notched an arrow to my forehead when we had been in the forest, however long ago that was now. I glared at him when I realised, and by the look in his eyes, he knew that I recognised him.

He turned his gaze from me, looking at the food that sat on the table beside the doorway. I held my fists clenched and by my side, my knees bent and ready to move quickly if I needed to.

"You haven't eaten any of the food brought to you," he idly commented. The tone of his voice was odd though; he sounded mostly sarcastic, but there was a hint of concern that was so subtle that I almost didn't pick up on it. I knew that my chances of being able to run past the Elf and escape were near non-existent, so I decided to play on the strange emotion I had heard in his voice to see what I could find out.

"Yeah, and why would you care?" I replied, my voice dripping with my own sarcasm. He looked back at me, his expression nearly indecipherable. _Nearly._

"I don't care particularly," he said nonchalantly, "Though to see someone suffer at the hands of Dwarves is something that I despise almost as much as I despise their kind."

The pity that I had seen in his eyes made sense now. He thought that I had been a victim of the Dwarves, that I was somehow a prisoner of the company. I almost laughed at the irony of the situation; here he was, getting on his high horse about how bad it was to make others suffer, when he had imprisoned all of us.

"I'm not eating the food. You've probably poisoned it," I deadpanned, attempting to change the subject away from me being a prisoner of the Dwarves. The accusation in itself made my blood boil, and I didn't want to lose my temper right now.

The more I observed the Elf, the more I realised that doing anything erratic or impulsive would be the wrong move; what I needed to do was find out where my friends were being kept, and how I could get to them. I had to try and be smart instead of do anything stupid.

The last time I tried something impulsive, it obviously hadn't turned out well.

"If we wanted to kill you, then we would have done it already." The Elf smirked smugly at me through his light blue eyes, picked up a piece of cheese and placed it elegantly in his mouth. I just continued to glare at him.

"So, why is it you were in the forest of Mirkwood? What business do the Dwarves have here? Why have they made you their prisoner?" _Right,_ so this was an interrogation. Of course it was.

"If I tell you, then are you going to let us go?" He seemed slightly taken aback by my question, and I knew instantly what the true answer was despite what his words said.

They weren't going to let us go, no matter what we told them. The split-second of hesitation before this Elf made up some crap about being noble and true to their word was all I needed to tell me what he really meant.

He started to talk about exchanging freedom for answers, but I began to drown out his words with my own thoughts. My head pounded again from the information I had started to process and the ideas that ran through my mind.

"Can I please go somewhere to bathe? And can my clothes be cleaned? Then I'll talk to you about the Dwarves." I interrupted his monologue with my own questions. He looked at me for a long time before nodding slightly and gesturing me to follow him.

We moved towards the open door, passing the food-filled trays. The feeling of desire and longing filled my body, but was quickly forgotten when I felt a cool breeze blow past my shoulder. It felt nice, but it was odd when I thought about it. We were in a pretty fortified building from what I had noticed. It wasn't open as Rivendell had been.

I missed the sights and smells of Rivendell. I missed sleeping close to company and feeling safe. I missed my brother, I missed Fili, and hell, I even missed Thorin. There was a significant feeling of emptiness in my being, and it was something that I couldn't shake.

We walked through many corridors that sloped slightly downwards until we came to a dark looking cave. I could feel the steam rising from somewhere around us, but I couldn't see properly. The Elf found a candle and lit it, placing it near to the audible source of water.

The area was similar to the bathing springs at Rivendell, though much darker, smaller and scarier. The walls of the cave were rigid and sharp, and I could see many different cracks and crevices in the face of the area. It made me feel anxious and claustrophobic.

"I will send one of the hand maids down to bring you clean clothes. If you attempt to escape through these caves, you are likely to die quickly. I would not risk it unless that is your wish." With those beautifully optimistic words, the Elf left.

I sat next to the water for a little while, too scared about getting in. Not before long, a female Elf came in with a small, plain coloured dress in her hands. If I had hated the one Arwen had made me wear in Rivendell, I hated this one even more. Without even putting it on, I knew that it was going to be horribly itchy and uncomfortable.

The Elf did not leave though. When I gave her a questioning look, she semi-aggressively told me that she had to guard me while the other Elf wasn't there. With the way she described this though, it sounded like she basically saw this as torture or punishment.

It was safe to say that I didn't speak another word to her. I washed myself quickly but thoroughly, wanting to scrub away every inch of Mirkwood that had clung to my skin. I didn't give her my clothes to wash, in the chance that she would 'accidently' destroy them. Instead, I took off my clothes while I was in the water and scrubbed them until my fingers were scalded and near bleeding.

After leaving the water and getting dressed into the garment that the Elf had given me (I was completely right; the material was disgusting and uncomfortable), we walked back to where my room was.

I tried to memorise my surroundings, to remember which turns we took where, but it was impossible. It was literally a maze, just as the forest had been. I didn't know how I was going to find the company, but I knew that buying myself time and learning more about the area would help me. I just had to try and gain their trust if I could, and try to find a way to get all of us out of this.

But it wouldn't be all of us would it? Bilbo and Thorin had disappeared and I had no idea where they could be. The feeling of emptiness started to grow inside my chest. I was alone, and I didn't know if I could get my friends out of the dungeons. They were being locked up and starved at this exact moment.

My feelings of emptiness turned quickly into anger towards myself. I had slept in an actual bed, and had just had a bath. I was just about pampering myself while they sat alone in some godforsaken prison. I couldn't believe how self-centred I was being. Once the female Elf left me alone in the room, I began to cry uncontrollably. When I reprimanded myself for being such a selfish cry-baby, I started to sob even harder.

I was sitting on the bed, my knees pulled up against my chest as I hugged them tightly and cried into my legs. My crying was so loud that I almost didn't hear a cough sound from close by. I looked upwards lazily, wanting to just continue to cry for the moment.

What I didn't expect when I looked up was a short, blonde haired Hobbit standing at the foot of the bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey everyone! I'm sorry about the late update, I have been so busy with work and uni unfortunately :( But this one is a fair bit longer than my last few chapters!<strong>

**Thanks a tonne to Promise1982 and Shadowsammy for your reviews, you guys are the greatest! And thank you to my new and old followers/favouriters! You guys are just as amazing :)**

**So, I am having a lot of difficulty deciding if I want to add Tauriel to this story. I love her as a character, but I just don't know if having her in this story will play out the way I want it to. Even if I do add her, there probably won't be a romantic relationship with her and Kili (sorry!) but it is just for the sake of the direction I want my story to end up going. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoy and have a fabulous weekend! :D**


	18. The Great Escape

Jumping off of the bed, wide eyed and just about in shock, I opened my mouth to cry out Bilbo's name. He must have realised what I was about to do though, because he leapt towards me and covered my mouth with his hands.

I could have hit myself with how stupid that move would have been; Bilbo looked at me apprehensively, as if wondering whether it was okay to move away his hands. I nodded at him slowly and he moved his hands back to his sides.

As soon as he did, I wrapped my arms around him, picking him up in the process and spinning him around. He was quite a bit shorter than I was, so it wasn't too hard to do it. Even if it was, I wouldn't have cared. The happiness I felt at seeing him again, to know that he was alright, overwhelmed me beyond words.

Bilbo squeaked a little as I spun him and put him back on the ground. I held him at an arm's length, not letting go of his shoulders and just taking in that he was actually here and alive.

Wait. How was he here?

"Holy shit Bilbo, I am so glad that you are okay! I was worried sick that something had happened to you.. But how did you get here?" I whispered quietly to him, making sure not to suddenly outburst the excitement I felt. If the Elves outside the door knew that Bilbo was here, I was sure that it would end with both of us being put in the dungeons as well. Then we would have no way to help the others.

Bilbo smiled, though rather nervously, before he sat down on the bed. I sat across from him, eagerly observing him and waiting for his answer. He looked down at his hands, fiddling with something between his fingers. Before he said anything, he took a deep breath and looked up at me.

"Amelia.. There is something that I must tell you for you to understand how I was able to get in here. I.. It is something that I am not sure how to explain.." He seemed so hesitant and nervous, that I wondered what it was that had him so worried.

"Just start from where you think you need to Bilbo. I'll listen." I smiled warmly at him, hoping to convey the happiness I felt to set his nerves at ease. He smiled timidly and then looked back down at his hands.

"When we were in the mountains, in the Goblin tunnels.. I was separated from the company and I got lost down in the caves.. But then I found something down there.. I found this.."

He slowly held out in his hands a smooth, golden ring. It was round and plain, without any markings or jewels carved into it, but something about it made me shiver. I felt drawn to it in a way, but it stirred something in the back of my mind that set off warning bells.

It was almost familiar, like I had seen it before. I scrunched my eyes closed so that I didn't have to look at it anymore. The piece of jewellery made me feel weird and nervous, and that confused me greatly.

"I-I am sorry.. I shall put it away.. It has a strange effect on you as well, doesn't it?" I opened my eyes again to see that the ring was gone from his hands, and I looked back into Bilbo's eyes. He almost looked scared, and I took his hands in my own to try and comfort him.

"Yeah.. I don't know how to explain it.. But it feels like I've seen it before.." I frowned at the flurry of emotions that I was feeling all at once, but ignored it to listen to Bilbo as he continued.

"There was a creature down in the tunnels that was the owner of this ring.. He lost it while I was down there, and I found it, unknowing at the time that it was his. He found out that I had it, so I ran Amelia.. I ran as fast as I could.." I nodded, trying to imagine what he had gone through. He had been alone in those tunnels, faced some creature and still managed to escape. That wasn't something that I would have been able to do.

"When I was running, I tripped over something in the dark. The ring was in my hand, and I almost lost hold of it. Whether it was luck or not, I was able to grasp onto it with one finger. I knew the creature was still coming after me, so I tried to get back up. But he was right there, searching through the darkness for me. I could see his big eyes glowing, looking.

"I was right there though. He should have seen me, but he did not. I followed him as he kept talking to himself about a path leading out of the tunnel. He thought that was where I had gone, and he was trying to get the ring back from me."

Bilbo sighed and looked down at our hands. He seemed so stressed and anxious, and my heart went out to him. I didn't even realise or think to ask how he had gotten out of the tunnels. I didn't ask if he was okay from the whole ordeal, and I begun to feel horrible about it.

"When we were at Beorn's home, I tried on the ring again, to see if I was true in what I was thinking at the time. I put on the ring and walked around the house when we were packing our rucksacks.. And no one saw me. Not even once."

"This ring, it.. It has some type of magic or spell cast upon it. It is the only way that I would become invisible to the eyes of others. That was how I was able to get away from and distract the spiders. It was also how I managed to get into these Halls and into your room without anyone seeing me."

I just looked at him, my jaw open in shock. The ring made him invisible? Doubts begun to fill my mind, but he was right. There was no other way he would have been able to get through everything we had gone through, undetected.

"I sometimes feel like I'm in a damn Harry Potter movie," I muttered to myself. Invisibility, spells and magic? Yeah, it definitely wasn't too far off. Bilbo looked at me inquisitively but I just shook my head. I didn't have time to explain that right now. A hundred questions rushed to the forefront of my mind, and unfortunately for the poor Hobbit, all of them came rushing out of my mouth in a blur.

"Where are the rest of the company? Are they okay? Is Josh with them? How long has it been since we were in the forest?" Bilbo frowned slightly at me as I bombarded him with questions, and I smiled apologetically. He closed his eyes briefly, before he started to answer.

"To answer your first question, the company are being kept in the dungeons. I followed them when the guards first took them down there. They are only being feed small amounts of food, which is absolutely barbarous! I had to search for the cellars and steal large amounts of food and water to take to them. It was almost an impossible task; I could not stop them when they cried out in happiness at the sight of me, and they attracted a guard who had almost caught me!"

"If not for the ring, I would have been in the cells along with them at this moment. At any rate, that was two days ago now-"

"I've been asleep for two days?" I exclaimed, barely controlling my shock. Holy hell, my body really had a need for long recovery periods.

"Yes. That fall that you took must have been as bad as it looked. You nearly choked that Elf, and you broke the nose of the other. It is safe to say they were furious; it was probably lucky that you have been asleep so as not to incur the wrath of those two Elves." He looked at me worriedly, as he continued.

"The company saw it all though, and they have been so anxious and uneasy about your health. I had not been able to find you until now, and I am yet to find Thorin. They are becoming angrier and more fearful with each day. At least I can bring them some good news."

"Do you know if Thorin is even here though? What if he is still in the forest? And is Josh okay? They didn't hurt any of the company badly did they?"

"I know that he is somewhere in the halls, being kept in a separate dungeon. I have heard the Elves speak of it; I need to find him as soon as I can manage, though. The company are fine, however hungry, worried and a little worse for wear. Nothing serious nonetheless."

"Fili and Josh in particular have been harassing me to find you quickly, though there is only so much one Hobbit can do in such a large maze of corridors and halls!" He took his hands from me then, crossing his arms and pouting slightly like a child.

I laughed at how amusing he looked. That made him pout at me even more; I had to muffle my laughs after that at the risk of being heard. Calming down though, I felt better than I had in weeks. We had Bilbo on the outside, invisible to the Elves, who could try to get us out.

"Okay then, we need a plan. How are we going to get out of here?" Bilbo's eyes lit up and his lips upturned into a smile. It seemed as though he had already begun to work on a plan of escape.

And so we sat there for a few hours, thinking of ideas, rejecting others, and finally coming up with something that could hopefully work in our favour to help us in escaping this retched place.

* * *

><p>It was another week before we were able to set our plan into motion. The only way I was able to tell how many days had passed was due to Bilbo, who came back into my room every night after exploring Thranduil's halls.<p>

I worried about him every morning when he left to venture through the corridors, though. He told me that he would go down to the cellars while the Elves were eating in the dining hall, and steal as much food as he could gather for the dwarves and Josh, who were in the dungeons close by. Apparently he had to make several trips to attempt to cater for the appetites of the fourteen men down in the prisons.

That was something that didn't surprise me though.

Bilbo had found Thorin on the second day I had been awake. He was being held in a prison cell much deeper in the tunnels than the others, and apparently it was extremely difficult to get past the guards there.

They had been starving Thorin too. I had just about torn apart the room when I found out, but I had to restrain myself to keep up the pretence that I was cooperating with the Elves. I wanted to find out as much as I could from them in order to help Bilbo. Not that he needed any help with his sneaking around, but I pried for as much as I could.

Bilbo had snuck past the guards to take Thorin food and water, and had told him that we had a plan. Apparently Thorin had been extremely hesitant about Bilbo and I attempting to break us out, but he agreed that it was the only way. Bilbo had also told the rest of the company, and they had been waiting in nervous anticipation for the time of our escape.

Having the hobbit to keep me company after he had been preparing our plan during the days made me feel better. Because Bilbo had nowhere to sleep, I forced him to share the bed with me. He seemed almost offended at the gesture; I had thought that I was being nice, but he didn't see it that way. He had blushed ridiculously and began speaking about how improper it was to do such a thing.

I had whacked him lightly on the back of the head when he had said that. Then, as a change in tactic, he started talking about how Fili wouldn't like the idea either. It was a low blow and he knew it, as by now we had talked about how Fili had begun to court me. Bilbo felt like it was a despicable thing to do when I was in a courtship, but I told him that he was an idiot and threatened to sleep on the ground if he didn't sleep on the bed.

He had finally given in, and slept at the opposite end of the bed from me. I didn't mind, I was just glad that neither he nor I were sleeping on the cold and dirty ground. When I had nightmares, it made me miss the company terribly. Bilbo helped me when I woke some nights in a cold sweat, but it wasn't the same as Fili. Every single day I missed him and the others so much more. Bilbo brought messages from the others every night though, which made me feel like I wasn't so alone.

Josh passed on silly little things to Bilbo, like jokes or references from movies that only I would know. The Hobbit had no idea what we were talking about, though he passed on our messages nonetheless.

It was when Josh had told Bilbo to tell me that I was Leyton, and Bilbo was Bronson, that I laughed heartily in spite of the situation. His nod to The Great Escape was something that not only reminded me what we were doing, but filled me with courage. Leyton and Bronson's characters were the ones that had dug the tunnel that had gotten most of the inmates out in the movie; I just hoped that it was all of us that would be able to escape this situation.

Fili didn't pass anything on to me, but instead Bilbo told me that he asked how I was constantly. He was apparently really anxious about how I was going by myself, and still angry that I was hurt after my failed rescue attempt. Even though it wasn't really the Elves fault, he was boiling with anger about the whole thing. To be quite honest, I was too. I felt like if they hadn't taken us prisoner, then I wouldn't have gone mental at them like I did and gotten hurt.

The Elf that had spoken to me first when I woke up was the only Elf I saw the entire week besides the snobby handmaid. His name was Legolas, and he had continued to prompt me for answers as to what the company were doing.

I had pretended to go along with the whole "I was the Dwarves' prisoner" façade. It seemed like he had already decided that was what had happened, and I figured it would help me to get sympathy points and find out as much as I could.

My strategy had been to play on Legolas' hate for the Dwarves; I made myself out to be a poor, defenceless little girl that had been captured by them, and that they were taking me to some place that I didn't recognise.

He tried to get exact details out of me, but I would always say that they hadn't spoken about their business while I was in the presence. Legolas had seemed doubtful about that, but I told him that I would try to remember any detail that I had managed to make out.

That seemed to keep him going for a while, to my relief. Our plan was beginning to work; the Elf was becoming more comfortable with me, letting small pieces of information drop. When he would question me, we would walk around the halls and tunnels and I became more familiar with the paths we took.

He asked about where my family was though, and how the Dwarves managed to take me from them. I almost snorted at the stupid question, but I held my front as the victim.

"My mother and father are far away," I told him, "but you have my brother locked up in the cells with the Dwarves." I let him interpret what he wished from that, and it seemed to work towards my case even more. He jumped to the conclusion that Josh was in league with the Dwarves, and that he had sold me to them in some sick bargain.

Legolas seemed infuriated with what he believed to be the truth, but it worked in my favour. He felt even sorrier for me then, and slowly, any dislike that he had felt towards me for being in the company of dwarves for so long, soon subsided.

There was one morning when he seemed to absently walk past a weapons room of some type. I was able to sneak a glance as we slowly walked through the corridor, and what I saw made me internally scream in joy. I had seen a pile of weapons lying on the floor in a far corner, stacked hazardously atop each other.

The glint of silver and blue amongst familiar Dwarvish weaponry was exactly what I needed to see. Our weapons were still here! I concentrated all my energy on remembering where the room was, imprinting the turns of the corridors in my mind so that Bilbo would be able to find them later.

Surely enough, Bilbo was back later that night with more good news. I described to him where the weapons were, and he explained about a banquet that the Elves were holding in the Halls the night of the next day. Bilbo had told me that it was an extravagant annual feast that they have, and by the talk of the guards, there was going to be lots of wine for the Elves.

That was when our plan set into motion. The day started as each morning had for the previous week; Bilbo had left early, and Legolas brought me breakfast which I scoffed down quickly. I had quickly given into my hunger in the beginning, as I quickly conceded that if they wanted me dead, they would have done it already.

I had eaten like a pig for the first few days, but then felt immediately guilty afterwards. I thought about the others, getting only what Bilbo could scavenge for them, and it made me feel horrible. Bilbo had quickly scolded me though, telling me that I needed my strength to help the others.

I couldn't fault that logic.

While I walked through the corridors with Legolas, I noticed that I could hear loud laughter and music from high above us.

"Where is that noise coming from?" I asked curiously, despite already having a good idea of what the racket was. He looked down at me with a small smile on his face, and replied.

"It is our annual Autumn Feast. Often we have such an event by the moonlight, though it seems as though my father has begun the celebrations early this year." I had quickly learnt that Legolas was the son of King Thranduil, and it didn't really surprise me.

It wasn't that they looked similar (let's be honest, most of the Elves looked the same), but it was their hatred of dwarves and the way that they radiated royalty in their demeanour. It didn't make them any more likeable to be around though; I found them mostly arrogant and full of themselves, though Legolas was not quite as bad as his father had seemed to be.

We continued to walk and I didn't bother to reply to his answer. I already knew that the feast was taking place, which Bilbo and I were bargaining on. I recognised where we were going, and I tensed slightly. I didn't want Bilbo to be caught in what he had set out to do this morning.

When we passed the door that opened into the weapons room, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that all of our weapons had disappeared. It meant that Bilbo had taken them down to our escape route to hide for when we initiated the next part of our plan.

The hardest part of our plan was going to be to get Thorin and I out of where we were being held. In the main dungeons, Bilbo said that the presence of the guards had diminished until they only reappeared at meal times to interrogate the company. Obviously the Elves thought that they would get the answers they wanted, because they had been giving them so little food that they would have been thoroughly starving by now.

What they didn't know is that Bilbo was sneaking them enough rations that allowed the Dwarves not to be tempted by promises of food and freedom. The Elves must have thought that the Dwarves were much more stubborn than they initially realised.

Bilbo and I were banking on the guards outside Thorin's prison and my room to be at the banquet while we attempted our escape though. I knew that it had been Legolas guarding me most days, so I figured that he would have to be at the festivities with his father, as he was the Prince and all. I decided to ask some subtle questions in order to confirm this though.

"Is the banquet something that you have to attend, because you are a Prince and all?" I asked as innocently as I could. If he thought something was amiss by my question, he didn't show it at all.

"Yes, I do. It is not something that I mind, though these types of events can be extraordinarily extravagant. Let us just say that I am relieved that I will not have to clean up afterwards." I laughed, though more-so at how distracted the Elves would be tonight, rather than at Legolas' words.

We walked for a long time, all the while having to answer with vague and ambiguous replies to Legolas' questions about the dwarves. I was glad that I wouldn't have to do this again, but still my responses were guarded and unclear for him to try and interpret.

When he had finished trying to interrogate me, he took me back to my room. There was a plate of food waiting there, so I guessed it must be about midday already. Before he left, he turned around to face me and spoke.

"I'm sorry that you were held at the hands of those wretched Dwarves. I hope that we are able to find your family, your mother and father, so that you can be free again." With that, he left.

I had to contain a laugh at how ironic that was. My mother was gone and my father was an abusive alcoholic; the Dwarves, however, had protected Josh and I since they had known us (minus Dwalin and Thorin, who had taken a little while to trust us).

Each of them though, had fought for us, laughed with us and took us in when we basically became orphans. They were the ones who I saw as my family, and they were the ones that I would stay with, given the choice. To think that Legolas hoped that I would get back to my mother and father was absurd; had he known how we had been treated by our dad, I'm sure that he wouldn't be so quick to make assumptions.

He thought that it was the Dwarves that were the ones who mistreated me, but he couldn't have been more wrong.

When he left, I began my preparations. Bilbo had taken care of most things, as there wasn't much I could do from here, but I had decided I wanted to do something. I changed out of the horrible dress that I had been wearing for the past week, back into my tunic, vest, slacks and cloak. They still had some stains from the rain and from the dirt we had been sleeping in while being in Mirkwood, but they were mostly clean after washing them on the first day I had been conscious.

I knew that no one would come in to bother me until around dinner time, when someone would bring me food. Knowing that they would think something was odd if they saw me dressed in my travelling clothes, I would curl up under the covers of my bed so they thought I was sleeping.

Bilbo would sneak to my room soon after, and then we would leave silently when we knew the banquet would be in full swing. The guards had been locking my door each night, only to open it in the morning when they brought me breakfast. Because they wouldn't know that Bilbo was on the outside, we anticipated that they would leave me unguarded but the room locked.

They had begun to leave the key in the door as well, just showing how much they were slacking off. The Elves had been getting more careless with each day that went by, as they were arrogant and over-confident in their belief that we would never leave these halls. Bilbo had heard of such talk when he would linger in the corridors.

I quickly but quietly moved about the room. There was a large tray of fruit, bread, cheeses and meats today. I took a sheet off of the bed and begun to rip it into smaller pieces to carry some food in my backpack, which had initially been emptied by the Elves. The only reason I was able to get it back, was because I convinced Legolas that it was the only thing that I owned that had belonged to my mother and father.

I should've taken up acting instead of psychology in my previous life.

Wrapping various pieces of food in the fabric, mostly the bread and fruit, I added it to the food that I had been hoarding over the past few days. I knew that Bilbo was gathering some food as well, but we needed as much as we could gather just in case we weren't able to get any when we escaped.

Keeping in mind the appetite of the Dwarves, I had my bag almost overflowing with food items. I had eaten all the rest that wasn't practical to take, such as the cheeses and meat. With the amount of food that I had been given over the past week, I could feel the strength re-entering my body. My cheeks had regained some of their fuller shape, and my muscles weren't aching so much anymore. I still had bruises covering my body, though most were a faded yellow colour by now.

All in all, the hope that I was holding onto, that each day had brought us closer to us escaping, was what made me regain my determination and my feeling of purpose in this world. I had been so torn down from being in the forest for so long that I had just about given up, but my resolve was revived. Bilbo and I were going to save our friends, and we were going to get away from these Elves.

I tried to keep calm for the afternoon, but my excitement was overwhelming me. I continued to pace the room, going over in my head what we needed to do and realising that I was about to see my friends again. My stomach turned and twisted in tight knots in nervous anticipation. I couldn't wait to see my family again.

It felt as though I was waiting an eternity for my next meal to be brought. All the while, I could hear the music, singing, laughing and loud sounds from upstairs grow into a tremendous and continuous wave of noise.

I prayed that Bilbo was alright and was managing the next stage of our plan alright. He had to find and steal the keys to the prison cells, and that was another part of our rescue attempt that could go completely and horribly wrong.

All of the possibilities and scenarios of what could happen if Bilbo was caught ran over and over in my mind, and I had worked myself into an absolute state by the time I heard the door unlock. I quickly kicked the bag under the bed, and jumped underneath the covers with my back facing the door.

As soon as the door opened and I heard a voice, I knew who it was. The handmaid that I had unfortunately seen a great deal of was muttering under her breath about how much she despised bringing food to me each day. The actual words she used were 'filthy human child,' and I frowned to myself.

I knew that she would not stay to guard me tonight; she hated being in my presence, and over the past week I had done as much as I could to make myself as irritating to her as I could. I would ask her stupid questions, and insult her with a façade of innocence, pretending to be ignorant when I had asked her various times why _I_ was so important that I had an Elf as a handmaid.

Safe to say, she absolutely despised and abhorred me by the end of that week.

When I heard the door close and the key lock, I jumped out from underneath the covers. I ate some of the food that was there, hoping that the Elf hadn't done anything to it when she brought it to me. There wasn't much room left in my bag, but I added some more to it so that it was packed to the seams. It wasn't going to be long now, and Bilbo would be here.

I jumped back into the bed, pretending to be asleep but keeping my eyes firmly locked on the door in anticipation.

While it felt like the whole night that had gone past, realistically it would have only been an hour or so. I almost didn't hear the noise of the key in the door due to the increased volume of the celebrations upstairs, but when I saw the door open I closed my eyes.

My reaction was only in the off chance that an Elf had come back into the room, but I heard small footsteps and then Bilbo's hurried voice close to me. Shooting my eyes open, I looked to see no one there. I knew that he had his ring on, but it was a bit disconcerting.

"Let's go Miss Amelia! I have the keys we need; now let us flee these horrible corridors." Throwing my legs over the edge of the bed and grabbing my backpack, I stood up and started to walk, but it was unnerving when I couldn't even see where Bilbo was.

"Bilbo! Give me your hand; I have no bloody idea where you are!" Suddenly a hand gripped my own, and begun to lead me out of the door. It was really disorientating, but I focused on what was at hand. Bilbo was leading me down a corridor that I hadn't been down before; it led slowly downwards, and we followed it quietly the whole way along.

We stopped at each corner, looking out before we knew it was safe to move. We didn't hear anything down the corridors as we moved along, save the noise from above us that slowly got quieter and quieter as we continued down.

Coming to a number of steps, I gripped tightly onto the Hobbit's hand as we moved even quicker downwards. I knew that this part was going to get tricky. We had a large period of time before we knew anyone else would be down this way, but what we were about to do could go wrong in so many ways.

I was to unlock the doors to the cells that the company were in, and wait until Bilbo had gone down further into the maze of dungeons, release Thorin and come back up to us. This part where we were going to be separated for about ten minutes was going to be the longest, most stressful ten minutes of my life.

The further we moved down, the thicker the air got. It smelt old and musty and downright horrible. I felt sick knowing that the company had been down in these parts for over a week, while I had been in relative luxury compared to them.

Finally, the stairs stopped and the surface went flat, as we came to an area that was lit dimly by candles. I strained to bring my eyes into focus, and when I did, I saw a large number of large holes in the walls of the caves that were covered by metal bars. My heart leapt in joy when I realised that I was about to see them, but I couldn't help but begin to feel angry when I saw how small their cells were.

There was barely enough room for them to stand up and move around in. They had been just about starved, dehydrated and shoved into a tiny space until the Elves got the answers they wanted, and even then, they wouldn't have been released.

If not for Bilbo, they would have been near dead by now. My anger began to blind the logical part of my mind, and I was lucky that Bilbo was still there to pull me out of it.

Without being able to see him, he grabbed both of my hands gently and placed a large key in my palms, and then whispered to me.

"I'll be back as soon as I get Thorin. Work quickly, Amelia. I know it is hard, but you can do it." With a squeeze of my hand, he completely disappeared from all of my senses. I had a moment to feel vaguely lost, before my mind finally started working properly again, and I began to move.

I rushed quietly to the first cell on my left. Apparently the company had heard Bilbo, because they were beginning to stand from where they were and move to the bars, murmuring quietly between themselves. The first cell held Gloin, and I realised how terrible he looked by the dim light.

His usually braided beard was dishevelled and in a complete mess. I guessed that he didn't come down here without a fight by the cut that I could vaguely see across his cheek. Reining in my anger, I moved closer to the bars, as Gloin recognised who it was.

"Amelia!" He whispered in relief, holding the bars in between his hands. When I started to unlock the door which was made of the bars he was holding, he reached through and put a hand on my shoulder.

"I am quite glad you are alright lass. Now let us be free of these blasted cages!" I turned the key in the lock, and a metallic click sounded quietly. As soon as it was unlocked, I moved to the next one, while Gloin exited the cell.

In the next cell was Ori, and my heart clenched in the sight of the young Dwarf. He looked so scared and timid that I hurriedly unlocked the door, opened it and wrapped my arms around him in absolute happiness at seeing him again. He hugged me fiercely back, though the moment was short lived as I let him go to continue the rescue attempt.

The next cells held Balin, Bofur, Dori, Dwalin, Nori, Oin, Kili, Bifur and Bombur. I had begun to get increasingly stressed with the opening of each cell, when I didn't see Josh or Fili. Did the Elves move them somewhere else?

I checked the last two cells, and to my utter and complete relief, I saw both Josh and Fili through the bars. Moving to Josh, I quickly released him. He opened his cell door so fast that he almost knocked me over in the process, and picked me up in an incredible hug, swinging me around and setting me back down. I didn't have time to say anything though, as I quickly moved to Fili's cell.

Looking down at the lock in concentration, I felt eyes on me. I finally looked up once the door was unlocked and saw Fili properly for the first time in just over a week. He looked even worse than when I last saw him, and I felt sick to think that he had been treated this way.

I moved back and he slowly opened up the door, looking over me with such an intense combination of emotions in his eyes. I saw a mixture of relief, regret and longing there, and my stomach somersaulted nervously.

After only a few moments that felt like a lifetime, he quickly rushed to me and enveloped me in his arms, into a crushing yet reassuring hug. His face was buried in my hair as his hands held my back, holding me as close as he could, as if I was suddenly going to disappear.

"Amelia.. I am so glad you're okay.. You're alright.." He whispered into my ear, and it sent shivers down my spine. I whispered back to him before I had to let him go.

"I missed you, Fili." I said simply, and pulled back from his embrace. The look I saw in his eyes made me know that he had felt the exact same way. From behind me I heard the movement of dwarves and their relieved murmurs to each other.

When I turned around, all of my fears left me. I saw the Dwarves openly hugging each other, putting their hands on each other's' shoulders in liberation. Dori had encased Ori in a bone breaking hug, as Ori had a mix of embarrassment and happiness on his face. Nori looked on with a relieved smile and a sparkle in his eyes.

Bofur was quietly laughing with Bifur and Bombur in Khazdul, and Dwalin and Balin had exchanged a head-butt between each other. I thought it odd at first, but when I saw the happiness in their eyes, I realised that it was something that they must have done in a Dwarvish show of endearment. Gloin was close to Oin, trying to speak to him though he was finding it hard to hear while we were still whispering.

Kili had run to Fili and they had exchanged a quick but excited hug. The scene was so moving that my vision blurred slightly with tears. When Josh moved back to my side I hugged him again, for longer this time.

I had missed him so damn much; each night I had worked myself into such an anxious mess, worrying about how he was coping down in the tunnels that I had barely slept. Now he was in my arms. My little brother was safe.

_For the moment._

Kicking my brain into gear again, I had to get into full escape mode. I pulled the company together to explain to them what was going to happen.

"We have to wait for Bilbo to get Thorin and come back up here; then we will follow Bilbo to our escape route." In all honestly, I didn't want to be vague with them, but I knew that they wouldn't be happy with the plan that Bilbo had come up with to actually get out of these halls.

Bilbo had agreed when I had said that we shouldn't tell them what was going to happen when we were to escape. Obviously they would be happy to have a way out of here… But they probably would have been less inclined to participate if they knew that the plan was absolutely insane.

They began to whisper over each other, asking questions and discussing what I said and in the process their voices became louder and louder. I was about to say something to get them to be quiet, when we heard a deep voice from behind us. I never thought I would be so happy to hear him speak in my life.

"Quiet your voices and listen to Bilbo and Amelia. We do not have time to discuss this in detail, we must keep moving." We all turned around suddenly to look at Thorin, and all conversations ceased.

When I looked at him closely, I saw that he was worse off than any of the Dwarves that I had gotten out of the cells. There were deep bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. It looked as though he was much thinner than I had seen him before. The Dwarves were all quite stocky, and Thorin was no exception, but his tunic seemed to fall where before it had been filled out.

Even his voice faltered and shook. He was in terrible shape, and I fought to keep the anger pushed deep down inside me. I finally understood the hatred that these Dwarves had for the Elves. It all made sense now.

Focusing on the present, Bilbo had begun to lead the Dwarves back up the stairs. I followed behind in the back so that I could keep an eye out and make sure no one was following us. Despite me being the most incapable person of doing such a job normally, it was Bilbo and I that had to take point on this. We were the ones with the most strength right now, and we also had a better idea of what we were about to do.

As quietly as possible, we snuck through the dim stairway back the way we had come, then through a wide corridor on the left, then downwards again. As we continued on, the candles became more and more frequent.

Before long, we had reached another large room with a flat surface. The single line of the company stopped suddenly, as I assumed Bilbo was checking around another corner before we continued with the last step.

I listened to our surroundings, making sure that there were no footsteps coming down the corridor behind us. No one moved an inch or spoke a word, and through that I was able hear running water and discern a soft noise coming from the main area of the large room, around the corner.

I immediately recognised what it was; it was the sound of someone snoring. I thanked whatever or whoever was looking down on us. There was someone down here, but they were thankfully asleep. I really couldn't believe our luck!

Bilbo began to move into the room after checking that the coast was clear. We all moved completely silently into the main area of what Bilbo said was the wine cellar.

It was huge; the Elves were definitely a fan of their vintages. There were shelves and shelves stacked with bottles and barrels of the drink. A large shelf in particular stood high in the middle of the room, dividing it almost in half.

Bilbo quickly moved into one half of the room that held a number of barrels standing upright in the centre of the divided space. I followed after the company, and saw where the snoring was coming from. There were two Elves sitting at a table on the far side of the room that we were currently opposite of, slouched with their arms and heads resting against the table top.

I could see large flagons on the table as well, which I supposed they had been drinking when they had fallen asleep in what seemed to be a drunken stupor. We made sure to keep quiet, though I kept an eye on the two passed-out Elves as Bilbo began to explain to the confused dwarves what was about to happen.

"These barrels get sent back to Laketown once they are emptied. From speaking to Thorin, Laketown is almost at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. We can use these to travel down the river, straight to our destination!" Bilbo whispered his plan excitedly to the company, but the reaction he got was something that I fully expected.

"You expect us to get in those barrels?" Dwalin whispered angrily back.

"We will half drown before we reach Laketown!" Bombur cried.

"You brought us down here for this mad notion of a plan?" Dori exclaimed.

I frowned at the stubbornness of the Dwarves, still watching the Elves that were still snoring lazily at the table. To my surprise, it was Bilbo that suddenly burst with a contained frustration; it was amazing how much anger he displayed, while his voice was still but a whisper.

"Very well! Come along back to your nice cells, and I will lock you all in again, and you can sit there comfortably and think of a better plan! But I don't suppose I shall ever get hold of the keys again, even if I feel inclined to try!"

I smiled at the little Hobbit. He was finding his confidence and speaking his mind to the company; he was truly one of us. The silence that ensued from his outburst made me smile in pride, that they were finally listening to him and accepting him as part of the group.

Bilbo then moved to the barrels and looked back at the company expectantly. It was Josh that finally moved, looking at the rest of them with an excited look on his face. Trust him to be the optimist of the situation.

"Come on guys! Let's get out of this hell hole!" He quickly moved over to the nearest barrel and placed his hands on either side, jumping into it in one swift movement. The Dwarves groaned between themselves and hurriedly moved to do the same.

I glanced one last time at the Elves who were still snoring, and moved to help Bilbo with getting the Dwarves into the barrels. They would fit easily, as the barrels were huge. That was the problem however, as we didn't want to be knocked about as we were travelling down the water.

That is where the work that Bilbo had been doing for the past week was to come in handy. The Hobbit had been hoarding large amounts of straw and other materials to try and cushion us in the barrels so that we didn't get hurt from the tossing and turning of the river.

I helped the Dwarves into the barrels that were slightly too tall for them, but just my height. Bilbo worked on filling the barrels with straw and other miscellaneous supplies once they had gotten in, and putting the lids back onto them. We had to make sure that they were water tight, so that we didn't drown inside the damned things. That was one aspect that made our plan completely crazy.

Bilbo was also grabbing our weapons as we went along, which he had hidden in a dark corner of the room. He carefully put them into the occupied barrels, making sure that the Dwarves inside knew what was happening. He had quickly transferred all of them into the barrels, and continued with the straw.

Once we were in the barrels, all we had to do was wait. The Hobbit had previously discovered a trap door that was used to send them down the river; it was in exactly the position underneath the barrels that we were currently piling into. In realising that they were already in place to be released down to Laketown made me suddenly very anxious.

How much time did we have? Warning bells rang in the back of my head, and I moved even faster to get the dwarves into the barrels. I had been using my hands locked together as a make shaft stool for them to stand onto and climb, but in my unease I began to lift them with my hands to move them along faster.

When I began to help Gloin, he looked at me with a frown on his face.

"What's wrong, lass?" He whispered, and I glanced anxiously behind me. I turned back to him and replied.

"I feel like we've run out of time. Hurry, hurry!" I exclaimed in something just above a whisper, so that the others heard me. Kili and Fili had been helping Bilbo I realised, and it was just the four of us left when I heard voices echo from down the corridor.

"We have emptied many barrels of wine this night! King Thranduil is calling for more to be brought from the cellar. Quickly, we must not keep him and his guests waiting!" I had frozen with my eyes on Bilbo. The voices grew even louder, and without another second to spare we moved hurriedly.

Kili jumped into the nearest barrel with the help of Fili, and Bilbo and I helped Fili into the one next to him. I almost had a panic attack when I realised that they were going to get hurt, because we didn't have time to fill their barrels with anything.

"Bilbo! What do we do, they are going to get themselves hurt with all the space that's in there! And so will we, we are even smaller than them! There isn't any time!" I whispered in a rush of anxious words.

Bilbo looked between me and the entrance to the room, wide eyed and mouth open. Suddenly, his eyes lit up in what looked like an idea. He rushed towards me and grabbed my arm, moving me closer to the barrels.

"Get into this barrel." He said urgently, already moving to help me into one of the two barrels that still hadn't been sealed.

"Wait, what? Fili is in there!" I cried, looking at him in confusion. He just bent down and held his hands out to lift me up into the barrel. Looking up at me when I didn't move, he exclaimed in fear.

"Amelia! Hurry, we will be caught!"

"What about you?" I cried, moving my foot onto his hands and lifting myself onto the edge of the barrel.

"I will climb into Kili's! Now go!" I sent him one last look of absolute horror, hearing the Elves voices as though they were right next to us, and climbed down into the barrel. In a split second the lid was sealed onto the top of the barrel, closing us in.

It didn't help that I had just about dropped onto an unexpected Fili, who cried in surprise and confusion. I struggled to move into a comfortable position in the small space that didn't impinge on Fili's own space. The effort of trying to do such a thing in itself was a mission, but to try and keep as quiet as possible was a whole other thing.

I must have accidently elbowed him in the ribs, and he grunted with the pain. I ended up needing to turn my body to cover Fili's mouth with my hand, as the voices sounded from just next to the barrels. Manoeuvring as slowly and quietly as I could, I tried to find a position that wasn't going to get either of us hurt.

He must have realised what I was trying to do, as he started to move as well, his arms moving from in front of him and his legs stretching outwards. With the position that we ended up in, it didn't surprise me that Fili had completely tensed up, save the arms that moved around me.

I was sitting with my back to his chest, and sitting almost on his lap. His legs were stretched outwards so that I was almost encircled by them, as well as his arms that were now encompassed around my shoulders and chest. My knees were drawn up to my chest as well, held close to my body by my own arms that clutched them tightly.

We stopped our movements and listened intently to the voices that we heard outside of the where we were currently hiding.

"I told you of the many barrels that the guests have already gone through during this festival! Quick, send these off before we take the new ones up." One Elf said, sounding as though he was in a rush.

"Are you sure these are the ones to be sent off?" A second voice said. "What if this is the new wine sent down from Dorwinion?" He tapped on one of the barrels close to us, and I held my breath in anticipation.

They were going to find us, _oh my god_. All of this was going to be for nothing, and we were so, _so_ close. I tensed up, and felt Fili's arms tighten around me even more.

"Don't be a fool, Galion! I put these here myself from the feast at Luncheon, now send them down the river and be done with it." I relaxed my shoulders in relief, leaning my head against Fili's shoulder. I heard a number of footsteps, a sound of creaking wood, and then the ground beneath us gave way.

I would have screamed if not for the feeling of my stomach in my throat from the sudden fall. We landed with a loud splash, and the barrel twisted and turned beneath us in the flow of the current. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore my stomach that was churning from the abrupt movements. I inhaled deeply and concentrated on the muscular arms that were currently surrounding me, protecting me.

We had gotten out. Bilbo's plan had worked!

Even though I was overjoyed with being out of the Kings halls and no longer a damned prisoner, I couldn't help but begin to think and worry to myself.

Had Bilbo been able to escape with us in time?

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, okay so this is my biggest chapter so far, and probably the quickest I've ever written one! Hoorah!<strong>  
><strong>Firstly, I forgot to mention that the word "<em>Tirith<em>" from the last chapter simply means 'Guard' in Sindarin.**  
><strong>Secondly, when Bilbo yells at the Dwarves in this chapter, after he tells them the plan, the words are taken directly from Tolkien's book (I just loved that bit so much!) So again, everything belongs to Tolkien excepting my OC's and the deviations from the original plot.<strong>  
><strong>Lastly, thank you for your reviews and new follows! Keep reviewing and sending your lovely PMs; I love to hear from you beautiful people! Lots of virtual hugs and positive vibes heading your way :))<strong>


	19. A Welcome Fit For a King

I had never been so uncomfortable in my life. Despite the agreeable company I was in, my legs had started to cramp soon after being crammed into the small space and plummeted down into the water.

There was no room to move at all; although his grip had relaxed slightly, Fili's arms were still wrapped around me. It made me feel comfortable in the sense that I was glad that I had someone with me. However, I was immensely uncomfortable as a whole, and that wasn't the only thing that put a damper on my mood.

I had no idea if Bilbo had gotten into one of the barrels and escaped with the company. The image of him being stuck in the Elves' cellars with no way out made my heart clench. After all, he was the one who had saved all of our skins.

The emotions I had felt after we had escaped from the Goblin Tunnels those months ago returned; my anxiety and stress at the missing Hobbit made me feel absolutely sick to the core. Suddenly I felt overwhelmingly claustrophobic; I had to get out, I had to do something. I had no idea what, but I couldn't sit here while Bilbo was possibly still trapped in Thranduil's halls.

I just couldn't.

Struggling to move myself in a position where I could push the lid off of the barrel, Fili spoke in his deep tones; confusion was evident in his voice.

"Amelia, what in the name of Durin are you doing?" He had taken his arms from around me, giving me the space I needed, but it wasn't enough. I couldn't get myself into a position in which I could put enough force into my efforts to push the lid off. I wasn't strong enough to do it.

I should have gotten Bilbo in first. He should have been the one to get into the barrel before me; he was the one that had planned and executed the whole escape plan. Now he was just left with the Elves, alone and scared.

My fear brimmed over the edge, and I slammed my fists against the wood of the barrel. Tears swelled in my eyes and my breath caught in my throat. This was no one else's fault but mine; I should have done something, anything.

I was about to punch the wood of the barrel again, when two strong hands caught my fists. Instead of doing the smart thing and calming down, I struggled against Fili's grip. Sobs escaped past my lips as tears cascaded down my cheeks.

Despite my health being much better than that of the blonde dwarf, he was most definitely stronger than I was. I fought against him until I had no more energy; his grip was enough to stop me from hurting him, but not powerful enough that it hurt me. When I gave up, I slumped my shoulders and dropped my head; still sobbing, Fili let go of my now unclenched fists and moved his arms around my shoulders once more.

He begun to move his palms lightly over my arms, giving me what little comfort he could in such a confined space. The contact sent shivers down my spine and set my skin ablaze; I had almost started to relax, when I thought of Bilbo once more.

"Fili, I don't know if Bilbo made it out with us. I-I should have helped him, I should have gotten him to go into a barrel first. I should have.. done something.." Despite the sound of rushing water past our ears, I only spoke just above a whisper, my voice broken even to my own ears.

His hands stopped for a spilt second, before he continued and I heard him whisper back to me, so close to my ear that I could feel his breath against my skin.

"Mister Bilbo is a Burglar, and a small one at that Amelia. Surely he would have gotten into a barrel just as he helped you into one." Even though his voice sounded unconcerned for the most part, I could sense his hesitancy as he spoke.

I didn't want to be reassured by uncertain statements though. I wanted to know that Bilbo was alright. Hell, I wanted to know that the whole company were all okay.

"Fili, we have to do something though. I can't stay stuck in here knowing that he might not be with us." I held my breath in anticipation, hoping that he would agree to help. I still wasn't sure what I could do, but it had to be better than scrunched in a barrel here doing nothing.

"Alright. I will push the lid off, but we must wait. It seems as though we are still travelling in dangerous water, and to expose ourselves could mean we drown." Even though I wanted nothing more than to do something now, I knew he was right.

The barrel was still tumbling and twisting through the water in what seemed to be rough currents. The more I thought about it, the more my head spun. I tried to focus on what Fili had said. Once the water calmed down then we could do something. The feeling of being completely useless frustrated me almost to the point of tears again, but I had to reign in my fears and my anxiety.

Slowly I inhaled, taking a deep breath that filled my lungs. The barrel smelt overpoweringly like wine which wasn't helping the dizziness I was already feeling. As slowly and as carefully as I could, I turned my body around slightly so that I could rest my cheek against Fili's chest, and entwine a hand around his waist.

I enveloped myself in his smell, and he enveloped me in his arms. His rough palms stroked my back gently, as he lowered his head to mine. I felt his lips brush my brow, before the sensation was replaced with his forehead against mine.

Despite the circumstances, his presence comforted me enough to allow my body and mind to relax significantly.

Bilbo would be alright; he had to be. Even if he didn't escape in time, he had his ring and could avoid being caught by the Elves. Even if he didn't get out with us, he would be able find a way out of the Halls and catch up with us.

Surely he would be able to.

The ring he had allowed him to become invisible and escape. The ring.. I remembered the way that I had felt when I first saw it. The mixes of emotions were confusing to say the least; I had felt warning bells at the back of my mind. I had felt a little afraid. I had felt familiarity. I had felt.. Longing..

I tensed when the word floated through my mind. Longing? I had no idea why I would feel that way about a piece of damn jewellery.

It wasn't just that though? It was magic somehow..

And it wasn't mine.

I frowned and inwardly scolded myself for thinking about it in such a way. My stomach began to twist in nervousness, and I knew I had to listen to my gut and to my instincts. The warning in my mind became clearer when I held onto the physical feelings I had when thinking about the ring.

I wasn't going to think about it. I wouldn't look at it again, and I wasn't going to ask Bilbo about it. It was something that felt off, and made me react in strange ways. I didn't want any of that.

I wrapped my whole arm around Fili, moving closer to him than I already was in an attempt to push the thoughts from my mind. He froze for only a second, before he relaxed and his grip on me tightened. With his forehead still resting against mine, I could not only hear, but feel the vibration of his vocal chords as he begun to hum.

The tune had become familiar to me now; it was one that had first met my ears on the night we had stumbled into this world. I knew more about the story behind the song, after being with the company for so many months now.

It was the song of their people, their family who had been there the day that Smaug destroyed and took their home. It reflected the sorrow and grief at their losses, the absolute dejection of being defeated; the Dwarves were proud and stubborn, and to be cast so lowly was degrading for all of them.

What really struck deep in my heart was that there was a spark of hope and determination within the song. Despite all they had been through, they were still perseverant and were going through hell to get back to their home.

While I didn't understand completely how that felt, I knew how hard it was to stay determined. I knew how hard it was to keep fighting in the face of loss and heartbreak. I knew what it felt like to be ripped away from your home, without your choice in it.

But without that, I wouldn't have found the place where I felt _truly_ at home. I wouldn't have felt a sense of belonging or family that I now feel with the company. I wouldn't have gotten Josh away from the horrible life he was living. I smiled slightly to myself then. There always seemed to be a silver lining.

Sighing softly into Fili's chest, my breathing slowed and my eyes closed sluggishly. Before I knew it, I had dozed off into a light sleep.

* * *

><p>I startled awake when suddenly Fili shifted beneath me. Without remembering where I was, I tried to jump backwards; obviously it wasn't something that worked very well.<p>

There was no room to move, yet I successfully managed to hit my head on the side of the wooden barrel.

"Ow, shit!" I cried loudly, attempting to move back into a comfortable position. My rucksack was pushed against the side of the barrel, and my legs and arms were now severely cramping. It was an impossible feat to find a position in which I felt as though my body would not completely ache.

"Amelia! Are you okay?" Fili exclaimed, his hands moving towards me quickly. Before I replied, he took his hands back suddenly and moved upwards. I didn't know what he was doing until sunlight streamed into the tiny space.

Fili had stood up, and was now peaking over the edge of the opened barrel; without any further hesitation, I stood up quickly though carefully, as I felt like the circulation of blood around my legs had discontinued.

I held tightly onto the edge of the barrel as I saw our surroundings. We were moving gently down the river, through the water that was no longer turbulent and wild. It was actually quite serene, and the barrel was bobbing ever so slightly downstream.

It wasn't the sunlight, nor the calm water that made me happy though. It was the number of barrels that were floating down the water with us that made me grin from ear to ear. I counted each of them hurriedly, and found that there were none missing!

What bothered me now was that I had no idea how we were going to get out of these barrels, let alone get everyone else out. It was Fili that echoed my own concerns.

"We must free the company from the barrels before they get to Lake Town. I feel as though they will not take kindly to us stowing away in their property." I nodded, and searched the area for any sort of way to get out of the damn barrels.

The banks of the river were probably ten or fifteen metres away from us on either side. Because the barrels were so large in the sense that we could only _just _reach over the edges while standing, it meant that we were quite limited in what we could do.

Despite wanting to get out of the barrel as quickly as possible, there was no way I was going to get into the water. The air was quite cool, and I was sure that the water would be almost icy to touch.

I glanced again at the barrels that were drifting slowly down the river in front of us. It was as I was about to look away when I saw a glimpse of black on the side of one of the brown wooden barrels. Peering at the shape, I was confused as to what it could be. After many moments of staring, I finally realised what it was.

"Bilbo!" I cried, leaning over the side of the barrel in an attempt to paddle ourselves closer to him. As soon as I called his name, his head snapped upwards and towards us; he was clinging onto the side of the barrel, his hands barely grasping the edge of the wood.

Fili realised immediately what was happening, and reached his own arm over the edge to help paddle towards the Hobbit. The closer we moved to Bilbo, the more we realised how terrible poor Bilbo seemed to look. He was completely drenched; his hair had fallen in wet clumps over his forehead and eyes, and his lips almost looked blue in colour.

In but a few seconds we were at Bilbo's side. It took both of us to grab his arms and pull him onto our barrel, where he could actually hold on properly. As it was, his hands were bright red and freezing to the touch, and almost cramped in a clawed position from pressure of grasping for his life.

"Thank god, Bilbo! I am so glad you are alright!" The knots that had tightened in my stomach instantly released, and the anxiety gnawing at the inside of my ribcage suddenly disappeared.

Bilbo nodded quickly, his teeth chattering and his shoulders shaking. It took a split second for my worry to wash over me again, hitting me with the full force of a tidal wave. The hobbit was going to get sick if he was in the water any longer, and with the extra weight on the barrel, it was going to be all three of us under the current soon.

Grimacing, I moved my hand to Bilbo's back and quickly moved my palm up and down in an attempt to warm his body up. I looked over to Fili, who was currently looking between me and Bilbo with a small frown on his face.

"Fili, there's no time for that. We need to get Bilbo out of the water and warmed up before he starts to get hypothermia!" The dwarf looked at me in confusion before he spoke.

"Hypothermia?" His brows were furrowed and he looked at me like I had just begun to speak in some unknown language.

"Yeah, you know when you get really cold and your body temperature drops? People can die from it." He seemed to raise his eyebrows slightly and look at Bilbo with concern.

It was while we were having this discussion that we didn't notice where we were going. Suddenly, something knocked into the barrel from in front of us. The abrupt and violent stop made me yelp in shock; wide eyed and confused, I looked to the source of the obstruction.

We had found ourselves heaped in with what I hoped were _all _of the other barrels. We had started to go around a bend in the river, though it seemed like something was blocking us from continuing. When I looked closer, I could see a large tree that had fallen on the shore next to us and across half of the tributary.

Bilbo looked around almost frantically, before he realised what had happened and took his hands off of the barrel.

"Bilbo, what are you doing!" I yelled to him, but my call fell on deaf ears. Before I knew it, he was swimming the few metres between us and the shore. Quickly he scrambled up onto the bank; it was slightly higher than him and he struggled to find his gripping, but he managed to pull his legs up and over.

For a few moments he just laid on the grass, his head towards the sky but his eyes closed. The sight frightened me, and I was close to scrambling out of the barrel myself to see if he was okay.

Just as I made a move, he rolled from his side and sprung to his feet. Leaning over the edge of the bank, he reached for the barrel closest to him and made quick work on pulling the lid off of it. What I heard as soon as it came off made me chuckle to myself.

"Curse the Halfling, and curse the Human! Damn these barrels to the Withered Heath!" It was Dwalin's voice that carried across to us, and I saw his large arms and bald head emerge from the barrel.

I saw Bilbo frown at Dwalin, before extending a hand out to the Dwarf. I thought that he was going to swat away Bilbo's hand, but instead Dwalin reached back into the barrel and pulled out a number of our weapons.

Bilbo grabbed them quickly, though with some difficulty, and almost dropped them at the ground beside him. It was then that Dwalin looked up at the hobbit, and hesitantly outstretched his hand for assistance.

Even though it seemed like nothing much to anyone else, the scene moved me. Dwalin was very much set in his ways, even more so than any other member of the company that I knew primarily for their stubbornness. For him to accept help from Bilbo, who he hadn't considered as worth more than a grain of dirt under his foot before, was something that brought a smile to my lips.

It was a difficult task to get the Dwarf out of the barrel and onto the shore, but they managed it and then begun to move the rest of the barrels towards the shore to help out the company who were still stuck inside. Bilbo would pry the lid off with his small hands and grab the weapons and food from the barrels, while Dwalin would help out whoever was inside, seal it back up and carry it to the other side of the fallen tree to send back towards Lake Town.

Fili and I ended up being the ones who were the last out and onto the shore, as we had to help push the other barrels towards Bilbo and Dwalin, and towards the growing company who were now stretching and gathering their weapons on the bank.

Finally, Fili and I were able to paddle ourselves to the shore to be helped out; it proved to be very difficult as there were two of us packed into the damn barrel. Eventually, we were out of the unsteadiness of the river and onto beautiful, solid ground.

Even though it's quite cliché, I could have literally kissed the ground beneath my feet. That's just how happy I was to be standing, without any restrictions, on something that wasn't constantly moving and spinning.

Some of the Dwarves seemed to have been encased in barrels that were not quite as waterproof as we first assessed. It was Bifur, Nori, Oin, Kili and Bombur that were almost as drenched as Bilbo was, and they were no less unhappy. Their hair and beards were completely bedraggled, their intricate braids in complete disarray. There were many grumbles between the whole company in general though, as no one was impressed about the cramping in their muscles and the bruises that they had sustained.

Josh had been stretching out his towering body ever since he had clambered onto the bank. I felt as though he would have been the most uncomfortable out of all of us, with his long legs and tall stature. While he was recovering, I began to assess my belongings.

My rucksack was still in one piece, and I moved it to hang over my shoulders. As I was vaguely scanning the area, I spotted the recognisable sliver and green glint in the grass next to the company. It made my heart swell in excitement, and I picked up my dual blades from the grass.

Despite the things I had done with these weapons, and the lingering guilt of the acts I had committed with them in my palms, I couldn't help but feel safer knowing that I had them back. I was absolutely terrible in using them, and I'm pretty sure my ability up until this point had been dumb luck, but I still found comfort in the hilts of the weapons.

It meant that I wasn't completely defenceless, and that I had some way to attempt to protect myself and the ones around me. Quickly I put them back in their place on either side of my belt, and moved towards Josh.

Without words, I put a hand gently on his forearm. He looked at me and nodded, a relieved smile on his face and a thankful glint in his eyes. With the last of the barrels sent down the river to continue on to Lake Town, each of the company collected their weapons and the few bags of food that Bilbo had collected.

"We follow the lake as far as we can today; we are not far from Lake Town, and we must be as far from the Elvish Halls as we can, for they will not delight in finding our cells empty. Let us move." As weak as Thorin looked, his voice still radiated with power and strength. Without further words, we followed the flow of the lake, through the trees that grew scattered down the bank.

I thought that we would not get far before we needed to stop, but the Dwarves were either an incredibly indefatigable, or ridiculously stubborn. We continued on while the sun was high in the sky, and many hours afterwards. My feet were aching and my stomach was starting grumble painfully. We had passed around the food we had between ourselves, however Bilbo and I had severely underestimated the amount of food that we would need. We knew of their appetites, but within minutes all of the fruit and bread had disappeared. It was safe to say that I wasn't satisfied at all.

Bilbo had started to sneeze and cough soon after we begun to walk. His clothes were still damp and it seemed as though he was definitely getting sick, which worried me. I gave him my cloak to wear in an attempt to warm him up, though I was doubtful as to how much it really helped. I made sure to remember to ask Oin about finding some plants to use as medicine when we finally did rest for the night.

It was when the sun was beginning to fall low over the horizon when we stopped suddenly. I had almost run into Nori in front of me, as I was paying more attention to the feeling of my stomach convulsing in itself.

"Look! The river has joined the Long Lake; and there, in the distance! Esgaroth lies upon the water." As Gloin spoke, I moved closer out of the line of the forest to gaze on Lake Town. I only had a few moments to look at the wooden buildings that seemed to rise out of the water, before I saw what lay and rose beyond the little town.

A small gasp escaped my lips, and I felt from the silence that I was not the only one who had laid eyes upon it.

A single mountain stretched upwards from the Earth and towered over everything surrounding it. It was so high in its magnitude that even the tip could not be seen through the clouds that spread across the sky. There were some higher slopes of the mountain that I could see though, and they seemed to be covered in something white.

_Snow_, I thought incredulously. _I've never seen snow before._

The silence within the company seemed to stretch on forever, as we gazed at the Lonely Mountain as though hypnotised. Even though it could have been any mountain, I knew from my own reaction and that of the company's that this was their home.

This was Erebor.

It was a long time before we moved again, but when we did it was with such speed that I found it difficult to keep up. Now that the Dwarves had re-found their determination through remembering their destination and their purpose, nothing was going to stop them.

The sun had only just disappeared over the horizon when we arrived on the outskirts of the forest just next to Lake Town. Orange lights filled the inside of the wooden buildings and were dotted along the bridges and paths that extended through the town, which reflected upon the water that the town was built atop.

There was a certain beauty to it; for some reason it felt almost homely and warm. When I smelt the scent of cooking meat, my stomach rumbled loudly and if not for Thorin, I probably would have begun to walk towards the lit bridge that extended from the shore to the town.

"Bilbo, you sneak into Lake Town and survey the guard presence; we must see what we are walking into if we are to enter, or determine if we will continue onto Erebor." Bilbo nodded his head nervously, and with a slight hesitation, he set off towards the town. I continued to watch him as he disappeared; like, literally disappeared. He would have known that using his ring would be much easier than being visible and trying to sneak around. Even I knew that he would stick out like a sore thumb, with him being of such small stature.

Thorin began to discuss with the company what we would do next. Balin was the one who echoed what I was thinking. It wasn't as though we could really go to the Lonely Mountain right now; we only had our weapons and some food, and were without equipment and rest. It seemed like it pained Thorin to acknowledge the older Dwarves words, as his voice was strained and despondent as he replied.

"Then we must seek shelter from the Men of Esgaroth. We will go to the Town of the Lake as soon as the Hobbit returns." There were nods and murmurs of agreement amongst the company, and after more discussion that lasted a while longer Bilbo returned.

"There are armed guards patrolling the town, but Esgaroth in itself does not seem hostile. There are women and children there; we are not planning to attack them are we?" Bilbo sounded almost frightened, and he fidgeted with what I knew was the ring between his fingers.

"No, Mister Bilbo we are not. We will simply ask if they can shelter us and provide us assistance until we can make our way to Erebor. Durin's Day is not upon us for many weeks; in the meantime, we need to rest after being imprisoned by the Elves." Thorin placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulder, smiling warmly down at the hobbit.

He bowed his head deeply towards Bilbo, before standing upright once more and turning towards the group.

"Keep your weapons sheathed, my friends. Let us go and meet the Men of Esgaroth." With that, Thorin turned and almost marched towards the bridge before us. Some of the company hesitantly put their weapons away, such as Dwalin and Gloin, but for the most part the company followed without any complaints or protests.

We walked in a large group towards the bank, and begun to cross the bridge without any intent at being stealthy. The Dwarves probably couldn't be quiet even if they did try anyway. With the noise of their weapons clanking at the sides and their heavy footfalls, we didn't even manage to make it the full way across the bridge before two guards ran from the opposite end, essentially blocking our entrance into the town.

"What is your business here, Dwarves?" The words were reminiscent of those that King Thranduil spoke over a week ago when we had first been captured by the Elves, but the man that spoke did not leer at us the way the King had. These men seemed slightly scared and quite surprised if anything, attempting to hide their alarm under pretence of confidence. It wasn't fooling anyone, though.

"I am Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain! I wish to see the Master of your Town." If the guards had looked surprised before, they now looked shocked. One of them turned and ran down the bridge and paths that led through the houses, which stretched several stories above the surface of the water.

The guard that hadn't moved at all replied with his voice almost shaking.

"The Master is at a feast. He cannot see you this evening." The man wasn't dressed in full armour; he had some sort of metal chest plate, but other than that he was just wearing a thick tunic, thick coat and long pants. In seeing how much clothing he was wearing, it made me realise just how cold it really was and I shivered at the bite of the crisp night air. I could have sworn it wasn't this cool in the Mirkwood Forest.

"Our company is cold, famished and hungry; take us to your Master, or he may have something to say about your lack of hospitality towards the King of Erebor." Dwalin cut in gruffly, standing by Thorin's side almost menacingly. The guard glanced at the Warhammers on Dwalin's back, and his eyes widened slightly. It didn't matter that all of us (except Josh) were much shorter than the man, he still looked almost terrified.

"As you wish. You need to lay down your arms before entering Esgaroth." At this point the second guard had run back, and not without several more armed men. Thorin looked at us all before unsheathing his long sword, and with the hilt facing towards the guard, he extended it towards him.

The second guard stepped forward and took it; the rest of the company followed suit, not wanting to give up their weapons so soon, but not seeing another way around it. As we filled the arms of the guards with our swords, arrows, bows, spears, daggers and staffs, they moved towards a small wooden building at the edge of the bridge and stored our weapons inside.

It actually took them several trips to collect everything; it didn't help that Fili had numerous daggers hidden within his cloak and boots, as well as his two large swords. A guard moved towards me, and in realising that I had weapons of my own he quirked his eyebrows; I gave them to him, but I couldn't help but grumble about having to give them up again.

Once we had been rid of everything, the guards motioned for us to follow him. We walked down the remainder of the bridge, and followed the same path the guard had minutes earlier. The company walked close together, almost packing in like sardines even though there was plenty of space.

I thought that after spending hours crammed into barrels and a week in tiny prison cells, they would be revelling in their free space; however, I knew that they were way too protective of each other to risk one of us being hurt just for the freedom of movement. It was as though I was back in Mirkwood Forest after we had been captured, as I was right in the middle of the group.

I didn't feel as worried as I had been then though. For some reason, I felt as though we weren't at risk here. Maybe it was because we were amongst humans, but I wasn't sure. I realised then that this was the first time I had seen another human in months; not since our world and not including Josh.

The thought was very odd. I had become so comfortable in the presence of Dwarves, a Hobbit and a Wizard, and I had even been around Elves, Orcs and Goblins more than I had Humans. I obviously didn't feel _completely_ comfortable around the men that had just met us at the bridge; I definitely felt more at ease with my Dwarven companions, but it was oddly calming to see humans again.

We continued to walk through the middle of the town, and as we walked further it seemed the pathways became more crowded. We passed houses filled with orange lights, where the windows were filled with the faces of excited young children and gossiping adults.

The children pointed at us in curiosity, talking hurriedly amongst themselves as they ran from window to window before opening doors and staring at us. The streets began to buzz; there was loud talking and cheering, whispering and muttering, whistling and laughing.

I wondered about the reaction, and found it odd that we were at the centre of this. Did they know who Thorin was? Why was there such a buzz in the air? The excitement was almost tangible, and it made me nervous though a little giddy.

We finally came to a slow when we approached a large, almost extravagant three story building. Many orange lamps surrounded the wooden house, lighting up the beautiful carving of wooden pillars and walls that made up the structure.

The guards swiftly travelled up the stairs and the company quickly following their lead as a large crowd gathered behind us.

With a quick glance back at us, the anxious guard opened up the door to show hundreds of people crowded into a large hall, with tables and tables stacked with plates of food and jugs of alcohol. Everything went completely silent as we entered the banquet.

It was Thorin who took several steps forward, his head high and his whole stance emitting the power that he held. All eyes were on him, and I could see a man across the hall at a main table that seemed to eye him with a mixture of surprise and almost annoyance.

"I am Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain! I wish to speak with the Master of Lake Town." At that moment, the people of the hall leapt from their seats and began talking loudly, cheering and looking towards us in excitement. The man I noticed earlier stood from the head of his table, and then spoke in a booming voice.

"Welcome, son of Thrain! What can the people of Esgaroth do for you?" Thorin took several more steps forward, looking at the people around him and taking in the surroundings.

"My companions and I would ask the Master of Lake Town for shelter and food, for we have travelled far to reclaim our homeland of Erebor!" Thorin's voice echoed through the hall, and I heard a few cheers from the crowd, and much excited chattering.

I couldn't understand why they were so happy about a bunch of Dwarves trying to reclaim their homeland though. It didn't seem as though it would be something anyone else would care about to be honest.

The voices of the people became a low hum which soon erupted into an almost deafening chorus of noise. It took the again booming voice of the Master to silence the crowd so that he could speak. He looked at the crowd of the people, and then considered the Company again. With a small smirk on his face and his arms outspread towards us, he replied.

"Thorin, son of Thrain! The Lake Town of Esgaroth welcome you and your Company! Please, join us in our celebrations!" The crowd erupted then, with many cheers for the health of Thorin and the prosperity of his people.

Then they began to sing, and my confusion suddenly became clear.

_The King beneath the mountains,  
>The King of carven stone,<br>The Lord of silver fountains  
>Will come into his own!<em>

_His crown shall be upholden,  
>His crown shall be restrung,<br>His halls shall echo golden  
>To songs of yore re-strung.<em>

_The woods shall wave on mountains  
>And grass beneath the sun;<br>His wealth shall flow in fountains  
>And rivers golden run.<em>

_The streams shall run in gladness,  
>The lakes shall shine and burn,<br>All sorrow fail and sadness,  
>At the Mountain-king's return!<em>

The people of this town thought that the gold of Erebor would pass through here; they thought that they would become rich from Thorin's success. I wasn't too sure if this annoyed me or not, and I didn't have much time to ponder on it as women, men and children came to us and took our hands, guiding us to the Master's head table.

I watched as a teenage girl, perhaps a little younger than me, shyly approached Josh and took his arm, leading him towards the Master with the rest of the Company. Josh seemed quite overwhelmed, but didn't hesitate in following her. I smirked at the sight, as a young girl, maybe only five or six took my hand and led me to the table.

When we got there, we were seated and absolutely inundated with food and alcohol to sate our hunger. The Dwarves didn't hesitate in gorging themselves on the bountiful feast that was laid before us. Even Thorin was eating a more than healthy amount while talking to the Master at the head of the table.

I couldn't help myself any longer; it seemed as though I had been around these Dwarves for too long, as I completely forgot any manners I once had to cram copious amounts of meat, cheese and vegetables into my mouth.

It seemed as though the people of Lake Town were also very generous with their alcohol. Despite my protests against their ale, they were constantly bringing more tankards over and offering them to me. There was no hesitation with the Dwarves or even Josh, though Bilbo and I consistently refused.

It wasn't that I didn't want to drink, it was just that I was contented with eating plenty of food and sharing in the laughter and jests with the company. Everyone was in an absolutely cheerful mood; whether it was the food that filled their belly, or the ale that went to their heads, or the songs that the townspeople sung about their good fortune, I could not tell.

The celebrations continued for hours, until my eyelids begun to drop and the general clamour quietened down to a dull drone. Finally, the Master arose from his discussions with Thorin to speak to the remnants of the extravagant feast.

"Until the break of morn, my friends and new guests, oh Thorin, King under the Mountain! When you find you have tired from the festivities, please seek the guidance of my servants to find your way to your sleeping quarters! Farewell!" With that, the Master took his leave.

The Company weren't far behind though, to my complete relief. After some discussion with Thorin, we stood to leave and some of the Master's 'servants' showed us to the way to where we would be sleeping. Thorin had told us that we were welcome for as long as we liked, though we would only stay a week and a half so that we could get to the hidden door in time.

There were some underlying tones in Thorin's voice when he said that we could stay as long as we wished, and I felt as though it had something to do with the songs of gold that had been sung all night. It seemed to go without saying that the Master expected some sort of repayment for his hospitality.

I didn't want to think too much about it though, as my body was beginning to shut down into a sleep-deprived fuelled autopilot.

We walked (though I probably stumbled) towards a large building close to the one we had just exited. I almost gasped when I realised that it was ours to stay in for the time being. It was three stories, as the Master's had been, though most other buildings were only two or even just one.

After being in captivity with the Elves for the past week, and being in the wilderness for the most part of the rest of our journey, this was luxury. When I spoke my thoughts out loud, it was Dwalin that answered me.

"This is nothing compared to the halls of Thorin's forefathers, lass. This is the work of children in comparison, just wait til you see." Though his words seemed almost harsh, his voice was full of excitement like I had never heard before. Tonight's feast must have been the cause of Dwalin's light mood; he even gave me a small smirk and a wink, which almost shocked me. It was odd that everyone was so relaxed, though after escaping from the prisons' it was relieving for all of us to be free finally.

When we entered the house, I was almost overwhelmed with happiness. We were in an actual house, with an actual roof above our heads! There was a kitchen, which on closer inspection, was full of food!

I was grinning like a fool for the rest of the night.

Quickly, Thorin searched upstairs and organised who was to sleep where. I had a room to myself on the third story, across from Josh and Bilbo in one room, and Thorin, Fili and Kili in another. Down on the second floor, Bombur and Bifur shared a room, Bofur, Ori and Nori shared another, and Oin and Balin were in the last on that floor. Dwalin, Gloin and Dori were on the bottom floor in a room close to the staircase.

Before going and inspecting where I was to sleep, I asked Oin about something that we could make for Bilbo to ease the cold he was catching. I couldn't help but notice that all throughout dinner, he would only sneeze, and if asked a question he would attempt to answer but was near indecipherable.

I didn't want him getting sicker, and I felt so bad for the poor Hobbit. He had gotten us all out of the Elves halls and only had a cold to show for it.

Oin and I searched the kitchen and found some herbs that we could use. I recognised some of them from our world, such as lavender and peppermint. Oin began to boil some water on a small fire stove in the kitchen, as I mixed and crushed the plants we needed.

We didn't speak, though the silence was oddly comforting. It felt homely, and it felt quite.. Normal? It was peculiar to say the least. Soon, the tea was ready and after wishing goodnight to Oin, I moved up the stairs to the top floor where Bilbo and Josh had already gone to their room.

Entering the room, I saw Bilbo already huddled up in a number of rugs on one of the beds. He wasn't asleep as Josh was still moving about the room, so I took the large mug to him.

"Here Bilbo, drink this. Oin and I made it to help with your cold." He sat up from amongst his cocoon of rugs and blankets to take the tea from my hands.

"Oh Amelia! Thag you very buch," he sniffed through his cold. He could barely speak, and there were bags under his eyes. I moved a hand to his forehead to feel his temperature, and it was as though he was burning up.

"You are boiling! Drink all of it and get lots of sleep, okay? If Josh starts snoring, just throw something at him." I smirked at Bilbo in an attempt to cheer him up, when something soft hit the side of my head.

"Hey! I'm not the one that snores, you idiot," I had turned to Josh with a grin on my face as I spoke, and picked up the pillow that had landed at my feet. To my satisfaction, a loud laugh bubbled from Bilbo's lips. I moved back towards the door, and turned just before I left.

"Goodnight, you guys. I'm glad that both of you are alright." With one last smile, I closed the door behind them and moved to the room to the left of the stairs, the one Thorin had indicated was mine.

With a hand on the doorknob, a voice from behind me stopped my movements. I smiled slightly in recognition of the voice and turned to face the familiar blonde haired Dwarf.

"I wanted to wish you goodnight, Miss Amelia," he spoke gently, though with the beginnings of a smirk playing at his lips.

"Oh, how very considerate of you Master Fili. You are ever the gentleman." I mimicked the formal tone of his voice, giving a small curtsy as I did so. He just grinned widely and moved closer to me, his whole body radiating confidence.

He was within half a metres distance now, and all my confidence and wit flew out the window. My mind decided to stop functioning at that moment, and I just looked at him with a nervous smile on my face.

Noticing my change in demeanour, he smiled again and moved his hand to my cheek; his thumb rested along my cheekbone and his fingers lingered along my jawline and neck.

It seemed as though my respiratory system was the next to shut down.

My breath hitched in my throat, and he gazed over my cheek before looking back into my eyes. It was as though I could feel every single nerve spark under his touch and his gaze, and I felt my cheeks begin to flush.

He moved closer to me still, lifting his head until his lips touched my forehead gently. I wanted nothing more than to move my lips to meet his, but I couldn't move. I felt as though I was frozen. How was it that he made me feel brave and confident one moment, yet as timid as a schoolgirl the next?

It was frustrating beyond belief. Before I could do anything, he moved his lips from my forehead and the hand from my cheek, as he spoke again.

"Goodnight _delva_. If you have nightmares tonight, come and get me okay?" Nodding, I lifted my hand and stuck out my pinky towards him. With a knowing smirk, he took my little finger in his own and shook gently.

With a final squeeze of my hand, he turned around slowly and walked back down the corridor to his own room. It took me a few moments to actually unclutter my thoughts before I turned back to my own door and moved inside.

The first thing I saw was the large bed in the middle of the room. Without any hesitation, I walked over, took my shoes off and crawled underneath the thick covers. They were soft and comforting, and I successfully cocooned myself amongst them as Bilbo had done in his own, minutes earlier.

The last thing I saw in the dim candlelight before I closed my eyes, was my green cloak hanging from a chair next to the door. I smiled as I realised Bilbo had returned the item of clothing back to me, and soon I was nodding off to sleep.

For the first time in months, I slept without nightmares plaguing my unconscious thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>Firstly, I would like to express just how sorry I am for such a late update! I have been inundated with assignments, and the next few weeks aren't looking any better unfortunately. I am hoping that the next chapter isn't finished as late as this one was! Anyway, thank you so much for your patience!<strong>

**Secondly, as well as working on this chapter over the last few weeks, I have been really working on the first four chapters of this story again. I feel like my writing has improved significantly over the course of the last five months, and for a few weeks now I have been unhappy with the chapters that I first wrote at the beginning of the year. There haven't been any drastic changes, though I go into much more depth with Amelia's reactions to what has happened to her and Josh, and also tried to make her reaction to landing in ME a bit more authentic. **

**I****f you have been following this story since _before_ the 19th of May, then the changes will be something that you haven't read. It won't affect anything if you don't go back to re-read these first four chapters, but I have added approximately another 4,000 words. I am really sorry if this upsets anyone, but I just really wanted to improve upon the writing, not only for myself but for you guys that are reading and following Amelia on her journey.**

**Note: the Withered Heath that Dwalin speaks of in this chapter is where Smaug is rumoured to have come from, in the Eastern Grey Mountains.**

**Thank you to Marina Oakenshield and FilisFilly for your reviews! You guys are wonderful :) Have a great week everyone!**


	20. Drunken Dwarves and Metal Boxes

I awoke the next morning to the sound of clattering and the chorus of voices from close by and afar. Stretching my arms lazily above me and arching my back, I let out a long sigh. Despite the general soreness of my muscles, my body felt well-rested and relaxed. Even my mind was calm, and my heart was content.

The night of celebration, good food and great company made my spirits soar. After such a tempestuous month in which I wasn't sure we were going to get out of, it was relieving to have everyone out of the mess in one piece.

I knew that it wasn't the end though; I wasn't naïve, but I wasn't going to let the task ahead ruin the fantastic mood I was currently in. The next week or so was going to be something I would let myself enjoy before we continued on to Erebor.

The sun streamed in through the far window, and I relished in the golden fingers of light that stretched towards my bed. Not wasting another second, and being prompted by the booming laughter I could hear downstairs, I threw off the blankets I was wrapped in and swung my legs off of the bed.

I really didn't expect how cold it was going to be outside the sheets; almost shivering, I moved to some wooden drawers in the hope of finding something for my feet and for my shoulders. I felt as though a thin tunic, slacks and leather shoes just weren't going to cut it anymore.

_It must be their Autumn and on its way to Winter_, I thought idly to myself. It seemed like only days ago that we were in Summer back in our world. How odd to think that this was something that had actually happened to us.

I tried to imagine what would have happened if Josh and I went back when we had the chance, though it didn't take long to think of a likely scenario. If we had gotten back, we would have had to somehow explain where we had been for the time we had been missing. Then, I would have tried to bring Josh to live with me, though it wouldn't have worked.

Josh would still be living with my father, probably being abused more than he had been before. He would have to wait until he was eighteen to leave.

_Holy crap_. When was Josh eighteen? I tried to think back to how many weeks we had been in this world. It took me a little bit of time and more than a little guesswork, but it seemed we had been here for over three months. That meant that he would turn eighteen in around four months, but I had no idea what the dates were like here. For all I knew they counted years longer or shorter than three-hundred and sixty-five days.

Three months we had been here. While it had felt like no time had passed, it also felt like we had been here a lifetime. There was no way I regretted staying here. If Josh was back in our world, I'm sure time would have been at a standstill as he waited for his birthday so he could leave home.

Pushing the darkening thoughts from my mind, I smiled gleefully as I found a woollen pair of socks and a large fur coat. It was dark in colour and very soft. I wondered who lived here normally, and hoped that they wouldn't mind me using some of their clothes.

I began poking around in more drawers and cupboards, feeling relieved when I found a pair of thick leather and woollen boots. Putting them on quickly, I found that they were quite a deal too large, but I didn't mind.

My stomach was beginning to groan with hunger, and I looked down to frown almost comically at it.

"How am I already hungry? I ate enough last night to feed a pack of wolves!" Thinking about the breakfast that would await downstairs made me grin in enthusiasm. I could almost taste the delicious piles of food that Bombur would be cooking at the moment.

Without any further delay, I pulled open the door and quickly raced down the flights of stairs. The boots I wore made little sound on the wooden surface of the staircase, but the excitement of my movements was enough to make loud, muffled noises.

I could hear the quietening of the company as I reached the last set of stairs, and I realised that they had heard my footfalls. Turning left and walking into the large dining area, I saw the company crowded around a table too small to accommodate all of us.

"Good-morning, everyone!" I exclaimed rather cheerfully. The company echoed my words and emotions, as it seemed they were still full of good cheer. Moving closer, I saw that Bombur had most definitely outdone himself. There were plates and plates full of cheeses and bacon, eggs and sausages, ham and apples, bread and chicken. It was reminiscent of the feast we had last night.

Wide eyed and mouth opened, I heard a chuckle from my right. I glanced down to see Bofur looking at me with a bemused glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips. Without any words on my behalf, I quickly leaned in between him and Bifur, who sat at his left, to grab the plate stacked high that sat in front of the dwarf with the funny hat.

"Oi!" He yelled out, making a grab for the food as I ducked quickly out of his grasp and moved around the table. He had stood up, an expression on his face that all too clearly reflected mischief and a hint of surprise.

Watching him as I did so, I took a handful of bacon and stuffed it in my mouth. I had to close my eyes in appreciation of the absolute divinity of the food. It was a sudden chorus of laughter that made me open my eyes again, to find Bofur making a lunge for the food.

Again, I quickly ducked out of the way and ran to the other end of the table. The other Dwarves were in hysterics by now; they were laughing in between mouthfuls of their own, and I had a hard time not laughing myself at Bofur's growing frown.

I had finished the bacon and started on some cheese when it became a completely ridiculous and hilarious game of chasey. Apparently the fact that Bofur was getting outmanoeuvred by not only a woman, but a human woman, had them in almost tears of laughter.

It didn't last long though; he quickly managed to catch me, and attempted to grab the plate from my hands. I didn't let go, and that was my mistake. Bofur saw his opportunity and let go of his end of the plate very suddenly. Without any time to stop what I saw was happening, the plate flipped towards me, causing all the food it held to project from the plate and straight into my face and hair.

There was but a second of silence, before an absolute eruption of laugher followed. I had never, ever heard them so loud in my life, even when we were in Bag End or Beorn's house. My eyes were closed as I felt something wet on my face, and something seemed heavy in my hair. It took me a while to open my eyes and face the company, and when I did they just took one look at my face and howled in laughter once more.

I couldn't help but join in after the initial shock. Wiping whatever food was stuck from my face, and removing the pieces of meat and egg from my hair, I looked at Bofur who still stood in front of me, barely containing his laugher.

"Aye lass, you are almost as fast as Bombur when he smells food after missing Luncheon, ha ha!" There was a loud exclamation from Bombur that was almost drowned out by the sea of laughter that ensued.

With the pieces of food still in my hands, I took a sudden step towards Bofur and placed my hands on either side of his face with some force. Completely squishing the food that was under my palms against his cheeks, he looked at me with almost horror written on his face.

Realising what was going to happen next, I grinned smugly at him and quickly sat down at one of the benches, squeezing myself in between Nori and Ori. Making a grab for as much food as I could so that I had something to eat, it took the company but moments to begin a food fight of extraordinary proportions.

My smile didn't falter throughout the entire breakfast, which seemed to last a lifetime. I didn't mind though. The Dwarves were celebrating their escape from Mirkwood, their arrival at the Lake Town and the glimpse at their lost home that was so close to being taken back.

I couldn't blame them; I was feeling quite elated as well. Josh was sitting with Kili as he most often did, laughing and eating more food than his body should have been able to handle. Looking around the table and observing the company, I met Fili's gaze from directly across from me.

His lips were curved in a lop-sided smirk, and his eyes sparkled with the intensity of his emotions. He looked really, really happy, I couldn't help but smile playfully back at him and send a wink his way. His eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, but an even bigger grin set on his face as he continued to watch me.

My eyes left his almost hesitantly, as I continued to look around at the company; it was the first time all morning that I realised a few of us were missing. Bilbo wasn't with us, and neither were Thorin and Balin.

I didn't even realise I was frowning and deep in thought, until Ori elbowed my side. I snapped my head to look at him as he spoke,

"Are you alright Amelia? What is bothering you?" He looked at me nervously, and I replied back quickly.

"Where are Thorin and Balin? And where is Bilbo, is he okay?" Ori put a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm my worried mind.

"Thorin and Balin are discussing matters with the Master. Bilbo is still in bed; he has fallen quite ill from the water." I nodded slightly, thinking about the poor Hobbit.

"I'm going to make him some tea and take him some breakfast. The poor thing will be sick for days if we don't do anything." Ori nodded seriously back to me, as I stood and left to the kitchen.

The kitchen was quite large and very open. It was right next to the dining room where the company were currently sitting, though through a large wooden door. I took more time to look around the room this morning than I had last night.

The walls were filled with cupboards and drawers of various sizes, all made from a dark wood. It wasn't perfectly fit as what would be seen back in our old world; shelves were tilted at odd angles, doors stuck out from the flawed craftsmanship of the cupboards, and even the floorboards seemed to slope ever so slightly.

I didn't mind though. It felt homier than our house had back in the world we used to live in. Everything there was perfect on the outside, yet it couldn't have been more broken.

In this house, it felt much more truthful and more complete. It didn't matter that the wood of the makeshift stove seemed to be almost unstable in its position, or that the bench I had sat upon only moments earlier creaked and wobbled under our weight.

I hoped more than anything that after the end of the quest, I could feel like this again. I had already chosen this world as my new home, but I just dreamed that there would be _somewhere_ in this world I could find where I would belong.

More than anything, I hoped that my sense of belonging to the group of Dwarves wouldn't subside as soon as we had helped the company get back their home.

Opening up several cupboards, I pulled out a number of jars and bottles to start making a tea for Bilbo. I used the same herbs that I had last night; lavender and peppermint were the only ones that I really recognised, though I managed to locate the other ones Oin had suggested, through their distinctive smells. I also found some lemon and honey to put into the concoction; it was something that our mother had put into hot water when we were sick, and I remembered always feeling better afterwards.

I quickly pulled a jug of water from a large cupboard that seemed to act as a pantry, and poured a small amount into a large metal bowl sitting above the stove that we had used last night. It took a while for me to actually light a fire underneath the bowl, but eventually I managed to successfully start boiling the water.

There was a prominent feeling of solace when I thought of how great the company had been in trying to teach Josh, Bilbo and I different things. Oin had showed us many different plants that can be used in traditional medicine, which I felt as though I would need to really know if we were to live here. It wasn't like we could go to a hospital or doctor whenever we felt ill.

Fili and Kili had shown us how to use weapons; I mean, we were terrible at it, but learning the basics had saved all three of our lives. In a way, it had also inadvertently saved Thorin's life, when Bilbo killed that Orc when we had been atop that cliff face.

Ori had been telling me bits and pieces about the Dwarves as a whole, their traditions and about their language. I knew they spoke in Khazdul, and he had secretly taught me some words so far, which I think would come in handy one day.

All in all, they had treated us as though we were going to be with them for a while. It reassured me that Josh and I wouldn't be cast aside when it came to the end of their journey.

Soon, the water was boiled and I infused the mixture of crushed herbs into a large wooden cup of the steaming water. I also quickly grabbed a number of fruits, cheeses and meat products from the pantry and piled them high onto a plate for Bilbo. Hopefully he had an appetite this morning,

I made my way out through the dining room, where the company seemed to have dwindled from the breakfast table to do whatever it was they needed or wanted to do. I walked up the stairs and came to the third story room which Bilbo and Josh occupied.

With a soft knock on the wooden door, I entered the room to see a small shape on the far bed, covered in a number of blankets. There was only a small amount of light peeping through the curtains which had been closed almost completely against the glass window pane.

"Bilbo?" I questioned almost soundlessly, moving closer to the bed where he lay.

"Ish that you Mish Amelia?" Bilbo sounded even worse than he had the day before; it seemed as though the cold he had acquired from being in the cold water had swollen the glands in his neck, making it hard for him to speak properly.

"I brought you some more tea and breakfast!" I spoke a little louder and with some enthusiasm in an attempt to cheer up the hobbit. It's safe to say that didn't work very well though. Bilbo seemed thoroughly dejected and unhappy.

"Well, I thag you for your concern Amelia, but I doubt that I could taste the food eben if I tried!" Bilbo had sat up in the bed somewhat, but he was still encircled in the blankets surrounding him. I smiled slightly and moved over to him, sitting on the bed by his side with the plate and cup still in my hands.

"It doesn't matter if you can't taste it, it just matters that you eat it and get better," I deadpanned. My words were almost harsh, but the smile at my lips told him that I wasn't being completely serious. He sat up completely then, and with a frown on his face he gently took the cup of tea from my hands.

He didn't speak for a long time as he slowly drank the tea. I could see the frown disappear even at the first sip; his whole posture relaxed and a sigh escaped past his open lips.

"Thag you bery much for thish'," he whispered quietly as he continued to sip from the cup. I simply nodded, outstretching my arm towards him in an offer of food. The little hobbit began to nibble at the food on the plate, and in doing so he must have realised how hungry he truly was, as he started to devour the food as I had done at breakfast with the rest of the company.

Even in the silence and in the near dark, I found comfort in being in Bilbo's presence. I had never had such a great friendship with anyone else in my life, besides Josh. There sure as hell wasn't anyone back in my world that I was this close to; like shit, I didn't even have a housemate!

Now I was best friends with a Hobbit.

I can't express enough that I didn't see my life turning out quite this way.

Even while that was the case, I couldn't help but feel grateful for how things did turn out. I had wanted to get out of the life I was living, though turning up in Middle Earth was very unexpected indeed.

"What are you thingin' about Amelia?" Bilbo's sudden question snapped my consciousness from my own thoughts, as I looked at him with a smile.

"I was just thinking about how glad I am things turned out the way they did. Not just in the past few days, but in the past few months. I'm glad that Josh and I ended up here, however we did. I won't ever stop being grateful for meeting you and the company." When I spoke these words aloud, it solidified my feelings toward what had happened to us.

I guess in extension then, I had already accepted what had happened with our father. If events hadn't happened as they did that day, then we still would be there now. It didn't hurt as much when I thought about him hurting me; there was still a dull ache in my heart, but it wasn't a crippling pain as it had been initially. I had no idea when this had happened, but there was calmness in my heart now when it came to my mind, and it didn't affect me so much anymore.

"The gladness you feel is shared wif' me. If not for you and Joshua, I do not know if I would have been able to keep going. As it was, there were many a-time when I thought to turn back to the Shire, or to Ribendell, but it was not only me struggling to continue. Eben when I was an outsider, I was not alone." Bilbo was already beginning to sound a little better, and I smiled like a fool at what he said.

Instead of attempting to put into words my utter thankfulness of having Bilbo with us in this journey, I simply leant over to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders tightly. Even while he wasn't able to reciprocate the hug, he chuckled slightly and mumbled some things about me getting sick if I got too close.

We spent the rest of the day as we had that morning. Bilbo and I talked about many different things; I asked him about his life, Hobbits and the Shire, and he asked me about the things from my world. There were many moments where I would explain something that didn't make much sense through words, so I went downstairs and asked Ori for a piece of his paper and some charcoal pencils. How he managed to hold onto those in the Elves halls without them being taken away, I did not know.

When I told Ori of what I wanted them for, he excitedly followed me back to Bilbo's room as he wanted to hear more about where Josh and I were from. I already knew that he had an idea of where we had come from, but I wasn't going to tell him anything specific without Josh agreeing.

That was when Josh decided to sit in their room with us and help explain about our world. He not only agreed that Ori should know about where we had come from, but suggested that it was time we should tell the rest of the company. They deserved to know, and he was feeling as though we couldn't deny them that. I wholeheartedly agreed.

By mid-afternoon, Fili and Kili had joined us, and we had explained to Kili about our origins. Much like his brother had done, he didn't believe us; he thought that all of us were trying to play a prank on him.

After some more explanation from not only Josh and I, but Bilbo too, he finally believed us. From then on, the conversations we had either had me in hysterics or left me and Josh trying in vain to defend habits from our old world.

"How do you travel in your world?" Ori had said, the pencil in his hand moving frantically along the paper as we spoke. Josh and I had just looked at each other, unable to begin explaining cars, let alone planes or trains or buses. Finally, Josh had replied.

"We, uh.. Travel in these metal box-type vehicles. They have an engine in it that can make it move. Then you steer it with a wheel type thing, and push pedals with your feet to make it go faster or stop." The three Dwarves and Bilbo were just silent for a few moments, before they erupted with questions all at once.

"A metal box? Surely such a thing cannot exist as a form of transport?"

"Why would you do that? Horses or ponies would be much faster!"

Needless to say, we began a heated discussion as to whether cars or horses were a better form of transport. I couldn't even think of an odder thing to get into an argument about even if I tried. Through explaining in more detail to Ori what a car looks like, he was able to draw a rough sketch to show the others.

It was actually incredible how well he drew something that he had never seen before; minus some details here and there, it was actually quite accurate to what a car looks like. The picture just seemed to confuse the others even more though, as they couldn't actually understand how we could get around in something so.. Odd.

I couldn't blame them though; things that I would have never believed to exist before a few months ago, I have seen with my own eyes in this world. To actually see something with your own eyes is one thing, though to try and think about something as true when you have never seen it before, well.. _That_ is a whole other thing.

Our discussions about different kinds of music just made my stomach hurt in laughter. Josh attempted to describe heavy metal and dubstep to our companions, yet they couldn't quite grasp why anyone would want to listen to 'lots of loud noises and screaming,' as Bilbo so eloquently put it.

After hours of laughing and talking between us, we didn't realise how quickly the time had passed until the threads of sunlight retreated back through the window, and we had to light several candles and lamps to keep the darkness at bay.

It wasn't long before Bombur came and told us that we were all expected at another of the Masters banquets that night. Because our hunger had returned, we quickly gathered our coats and cloaks, and moved downstairs to join the rest of the company. Even Bilbo was feeling much better than he had in the morning, and was almost excited for the feast.

That night, we joined the townspeople once more in their celebrations, though contrary to the night before, I decided to join in drinking with the rest of the company. The food was good, and the ale was terrible (as you would expect), though it went quickly to my head. I was quite sure that I had only had one flagon of the disgusting alcohol before I started to feel a little light-headed and very merry.

My reaction was not noticed, however, as the rest of the company were on their fifth or sixth flagons and beginning to have the same effects. They were laughing and singing, and even at one point we begun to dance.

I was absolutely terrible at it, not to mention quite tipsy, so I stumbled often and fell over my own feet more times than I could count. I felt as though I should have better balance, but I put it down to the consumption of alcohol; it was something that I had not had for a long time, and was obviously having a nice and efficient effect on me.

Each time I tripped or slipped though, there was someone there to catch me; at one point it was Josh, at another Gloin, and at some stage it was Fili. It turned less into a feast and more into a drunken celebration.

Time begun to blur, and I hadn't even considered what time it may be until I actually sat down after what felt like an eternity of dancing. I watched on as the Dwarves begun drinking competitions with the townspeople; it honestly seemed as though they were having as much fun as our company, though they were quickly out-drunk by the Dwarves. Honestly, it was like they had livers of steel.

After so much alcohol though, it didn't take long for some of the younger members of the company begin to pass the stage of intoxication where they should just go to bed and sleep it off. Josh in particular was stumbling, slurring and laughing with Kili, Fili and Ori; all four of them I noticed were in similar states.

It was when Josh collapsed into a chair beside me and begun to snore in a drunken doze, when I decided to take him back to his room in the house provided to us. This was something that I wasn't equipped to deal with however, as I had no idea how to carry the Elf-sized human when I was only just taller than a Dwarf.

I looked over to Fili, who was currently involved in a burping contest with Kili and Ori. I couldn't help but laugh, especially when the usually shy and reserved Ori beat both of them, hands down. Instead of interrupting them, I just sat back down next to Josh and waited til I could ask one of them for help in carrying Josh back.

The rhythm from a number of instruments and the voices of Dwarves and Men alike were so loud that even my thoughts were almost drowned out, but I didn't mind. The energy and good-cheer in the air was so tangible that it was almost suffocating, but I didn't mind that either. Everything was good. I knew at that moment, that whatever happened at the end of our journey, everything would be fine. We would have the company; there would be no way they would forget about us or cast us aside. Josh and I would be alright.

Unluckily for me, by the time Fili strutted over to where I was sitting, he seemed to be on the verge of drunken unconsciousness as Josh was now in.

"Oi! Don't sit down," I exclaimed, jumping from my seat and grabbing Fili by the arm. He looked at me with a cheeky grin on his face as he replied.

"Always with the hands, Miss Amelia!" I didn't even have time to come up with a witty retort, as he gently encircled his arm around my waist and took my hand in his.

If possible, the music seemed to grow even louder as Fili spun us both in circles around the room. Everything blurred around me, but I kept my eyes on Fili's to keep me from feeling too completely nauseous. The smile on his face grew into a grin as we spun to the beat of the fast paced music.

I couldn't hear the words as the world around me spun, but before I knew it the song had lulled and Fili had stopped. Still he held me with an arm snaked around my lower back, and it was with hesitancy that he finally let me go.

"And you think that_ I_ can't keep my hands off of _you_!" I whispered to him with a smirk on my face. I noticed the red creep into his cheeks as he looked at my almost sheepishly. Grabbing his arm again, I took him back over to my drunken brother, who was still snoozing in what looked like a very uncomfortable position in his chair. His head was titled at an awkward angle, and he had begun to slip down the seat.

"Can you help me take this fool back to the house?" I sighed to Fili, a smile on my face giving away that I wasn't quite as annoyed as my words sounded.

"Only a Human would be so terrible at holding their alcohol!" Fili exclaimed, chuckling to himself as we both grabbed one of Josh's arms, and hoisted him off of the seat. He was so ridiculously heavy, though I suspected that Fili was taking much more of his weight than I was.

"Hey, says you! I'm pretty sure that you are drunker than even you can handle right now!" As if to emphasise my point, the blonde dwarf stumbled slightly as we left the Masters Hall. We were confronted with a cold breeze that made me shiver, though we carried Josh in good spirits.

Between the both of us, it took a long time for us to actually manage to open up the door to the three story house when we came to it. Finally, we were able to get inside but gave up on the hope that we would be able to get Josh up the stairs.

Instead, we took him to a spare bed that was in Dwalin and Gloin's room. Before leaving, I pulled off his shoes, covered him in several blankets and just stood by his bed for a few minutes. Josh rolled over to one side, his mouth hanging open as he begun to snore loudly.

"Goodnight, loser," I whispered to him as I pushed his now-long hair from his forehead. With a smile on my face, I turned around and realised that Fili was standing by the door, watching me intently. Quietly, we moved outside the room and closed the creaky wooden door behind us.

We both walked to the staircase and upwards towards the third storey. There was a hesitant silence that hung in the air, as if Fili wanted to ask something but wasn't sure how. I turned to face him so that I could speak, but in doing so misjudged the distance of the next step.

What followed was a strangled squeal as my foot caught on the edge of the wooden step, and I tripped and fell onto the flat surface of the first floor hallway. It took only a few seconds for Fili to howl in laughter at me.

Luckily I hadn't hurt myself, and after a few moments of glaring at the Dwarf, I started to laugh with him. He held out his hand to me, obviously forgetting what happened the last time he had laughed at my clumsiness and then offered his help to me. As I had done at the riverside all that time ago, I took his hand in both of mine, and pulled with all my body weight in an attempt to make him fall over.

If not for his drunken state, I don't think that he would have fallen over so easily. What I didn't expect though, is that he effectively fell on top of me.

"Ouch!" I yelped, as I felt an elbow connect with my ribs. Instead of moving from atop of me, he hoisted himself upright with his arms on either side of my head. With a grin on his face, he just laughed again at me.

"Your plan didn't work as well as you hoped, lass. Are you alright?" His face was close to mine, his lips upturned in a wry smile. As it happened sometimes when I was with Fili, a flame of confidence sparked within my chest and I felt brave.

"Or maybe it did," I whispered to him, my eyes not leaving his. I saw the emotions play out across his features as he realised my meaning; first there was surprise, then amusement, but then almost embarrassment as he realised exactly where we were and what I was saying. He quickly moved from me, sitting upright beside where I was still lying on the wooden floorboards.

I sat up as well, crossing my legs in front of me and fiddling with my fingers in embarrassment. I already knew that I shouldn't be so blunt; it wasn't proper within his traditions, and by extension, now my traditions. I didn't want to ruin his courtship rituals, because I knew how important they were to the Dwarves.

I looked up to him, and quickly spoke as he did.

"I'm sorry," We both said at the same time. In spite of what just happened, we both smiled at each other and chuckled. He then spoke again before I did.

"_Delva_.. It is just so difficult to be able to express.. Because.. Thorin has not given his blessing.." He sighed, and looked at his hands, before continuing.

"The next part of the courtship can only proceed with the blessing from an Elder.. In this case, Thorin would be most suited, or Balin if not him.. The next ritual is a braid in one another's hair; it signifies to all that we are in a courtship that has been blessed by an Elder of our people."

"Once this has been done, open affection between us won't be disapproved upon.. Even I have stretched these old traditions already, and I am doubtful as to how much Thorin will handle before he has a say in the matter. Dwarves are a very old race, and traditions are taken very seriously."

I nodded, unsure of what to do in this situation. There was no way that we were going to sway Thorin's mind on the matter, I'm sure. Perhaps if I spoke to Balin, I'm sure he would help out.

"It'll work out Fili, don't worry." I smiled at him and he looked at me with a frown still present on his face, and a smile that wasn't convincing in the slightest. Instead of dwelling on the matter, I decided to ask him the question that I attempted previously, before I landed on the ground.

"Something else was the matter; it was like you were going to ask me a question before. What was it?" He looked as if he was wracking his mind in an attempt to remember, and I saw the moment that he did.

"At what age were you when your mother died?" His question was quite unexpected, and I wondered why he wanted to know.

"I was eight and Josh was five. Why is that?" He nodded as if my answer had finally made some sense in his mind. His blue eyes searched mine, before he replied.

"I was only thirteen when our father, Fáin, died. Kili was eight. He was travelling with Thorin and a number of other Dwarves when they were ambushed. He fought bravely, but.. But his wounds were too great. Thorin tried to get him back to the Blue Mountains, but he died before they made it back."

Fili's voice broke whilst he spoke, and my heart broke along with it. I had no idea that his father had died; he hadn't spoken to me about his parents at all.

"When I saw you with Josh.. It just reminded me of when I looked after Kili, all those years ago when we were kids. I still do today, in a way." I moved closer to Fili and took his large hands in my own small ones. He tensed slightly and looked at me, but I just shook my head. Damn his traditions right now; he needed some type of comfort, and I wasn't going to sit idle when I could visibly see his pain.

"What about your mother?" I asked gently, hoping that I wouldn't encroach into territory that was too hard for him.

"Our mother, Dís, is a strong woman. When Fáin passed, it was hard for her, and it took her some years to finally get through it. Thorin helped her, and he took care of us. I.. I miss her.."

I couldn't even express how much I felt the same way about my mum. I missed her beyond belief. I hoped that he would be able to see her soon; it was making my eyes tear up to see him so dejected and downcast in thinking about her.

"You will see her soon, I'm sure. I have a good feeling about the end of this journey." My words were genuine and I smiled brightly at him, feeling more and more with each moment that they were going to get Erebor back.

Fili looked up from our hands with a small smile on his lips and blue eyes twinkling with hope. Warmth spread from my chest to the rest of my body as I realised I had helped him; it was only a little bit, a tiny crack of hope in the darkness, but I felt happy nonetheless.

"Fili, don't kill me for this but right now I'm putting your traditions on the backburner." With no other warning than that, I leant over to him and kissed his soft lips. I smiled slightly when there was no hesitation or sudden movements away from me.

His lips melted into mine and I forgot where he finished and I begun. I could taste the ale on his tongue, but I didn't mind. He was warm and familiar and comforting, and that's all I needed. It wasn't before long that I felt almost out of breath and a little dizzy, and had to move away from him.

I rested my forehead on his as I caught my breath; it was an all too familiar show that we expressed. It was blissful and contented, and I didn't want to move but I knew I had to.

Moving hesitantly away from him completely, I saw his eyes linger shut for a few moments before he looked back into my eyes with such a grateful expression on his face. I grinned at him before standing up a little too quickly, and almost staggered into the door next to us.

Fili chuckled at me again, before standing himself and moving towards the next flight of stairs with me. Both of us had seemed to sober up a little, though there was no end to the stumbling of our feet as we climbed the stairs to the third level.

We were both leaning on each other at this point, laughing quietly whenever one of us would trip and teasing each other light heartedly. Helping the dwarf, we walked towards his room and opened the door.

He quickly collapsed on the bed closest to the door, and after some mumbling about goodnight, he quietened completely, seemingly asleep.

I stood by his bed for a few minutes, before covering his upper body in blankets. There was a small smile on his lips as his chest rose and fell slowly. Beginning to feel sleep take me as well, I leant over Fili and kissed his forehead, my lips lingering there for a few moments.

Standing upright and turning around to leave, Fili's voice made me stop and look back at him.

"_Delva?"_ He asked, his voice nothing but a soft whisper.

"Yeah?" I replied, unsure if he was completely conscious or not, as his eyes remained closed.

"_Delva, _I love you."

My heart stopped beating in my chest. The intake of air ceased completely. I stood there, frozen, looking at Fili as if he had begun to speak to me in French.

I opened my mouth, unsure of what to say, when he begun to snore lightly.

It took a few minutes for me to compose myself enough to feel my limbs become unaffected by the seeming paralysis, and plenty of time to actually move from Fili's room to my own.

Once there, I collapsed my drunken self onto the bed. My mind was in complete disarray. Did that actually happen? My breathing seemed to suddenly accelerate, as did my heart.

Fili loved me. But did I love him back? I mean, I felt very strongly about him.. I cared about him more with each day. But was it love? Love was such a strong emotion, such a strong thing.

But how else did I describe how I felt about him? There were really no other ways I could effectively explain how much I cared about him, other than love. The realisation made me feel.. It made me feel many things, but the emotion that was making me stomach flutter nervously and my toes tap against the mattress of the bed was only one thing.

Excitement.

I felt excited, but overwhelmingly so. I had never felt this way before, and now there was a name to it, a label in a way. I began to grin to myself as I stared at the ceiling of the old bedroom, when something dawned upon me.

Thorin didn't approve of the courtship as it was. I tried to think of how I could talk to him about it, when I realised I hadn't seen him at dinner. I hadn't seen him all day in fact. A feeling of trepidation filled my chest as I deliberated about Thorin.

My mind wandered into different scenarios until the sunlight begun to creep through the window.

* * *

><p><strong>Heeeey guys! Eek, a very exciting chapter for Amelia! Thank you to <em>Dis Thrainsdotter<em> and _Marina Oakenshield _for your reviews, and also to my new followers! You are the greatest :')**

**The first note I would like to make, is that I could not find ANYWHERE the actual name of Fili and Kili's father (or how he died for that matter)- therefore, I decided to create a name and the circumstances of his death. I think that having Thorin present when Fáin died makes his fatherly protection of Fili and Kili more realistic :) Hopefully it is okay!**

**Also, it was quite hard to try and write Bilbo's words as though he was sick- I wanted to try though, because Tolkien did so in his book. Sorry if it is terrible :)**

**I should have much more time in coming weeks ****to write and update- I really want to finish this fanfic before December (when the final movie is released) so I will see how I go :)**

**Thanks again and have a great weekend!**


	21. Faith and Compromises

It was in the early hours of the morning as the sun streamed into my bedroom, when I heard the sound of loud and drunk Dwarves coming into the house downstairs. Their return back to the house so late in the morning didn't surprise me, but on the contrary made me smile.

I chuckled especially when I heard a series of muffled noises followed by a number of angry Khazdul words. Apparently Fili and I weren't the only ones who stumbled back through the house.

There was nothing I wanted more than to go to sleep, but my mind would just not shut down. I tried for another hour or so to doze off but it was in vain. Instead, I decided to make the most of the now sleeping Dwarves, and go to the bathing room.

Since we had gotten here, I hadn't had a chance to bathe myself and I was beginning to feel filthy again. I had been able to use the springs in the Elves Halls, but that had been days ago now and I was looking forward to a hot bath.

A hot bath was not what I got though. I finally found the room they used as a bathroom, and it was almost pitiful. There was a small tub that looked fine enough, but when I attempted to fill it with water, I felt as though I was going to break whatever mechanism was flowing the water into the bath. There was a loud creaking and the water flow stopped and started consistently until the tub was around half full.

When I felt the water, I almost died. It was near ice cold, and I knew that I was going to really hate going through this. Quickly I pulled off my clothes, and slid into the tub.

My lungs seemed to stop working against the freezing water, and it took me a few seconds to begin breathing normally again. I was in there for only a number of minutes, if that, before I jumped back out.

The only thing that I was thankful for were the seemingly clean towels that were stacked precariously on a wooden bench. Wrapping myself in one of the large fabrics, I took my clothes and begun to scrub them in the cold water.

It was then that I realised I hadn't brought down any spare clothes from the drawers in my room. Sighing in annoyance, I just continued to wash my lingerie, slacks and tunic. It was a while before I had finished, and once I had wrung them out I bundled them in my arms and opened the bathroom door slowly.

There were no noises in the house, and I made a quick dash back up to the third storey room. Quite unusual for me, I managed to get back without any complications.

I moved the armchair from beside the door to in front of the window. Spreading out my clothes atop the chair that now sat in the morning sun, I went to the drawers and put on some clothes.

Waiting for my clothes to dry, I wrapped myself up in the blankets of my bed and finally managed to nod off into a light sleep.

It wasn't long, but after what I thought may have been several hours I woke up. The sun was still shining in through the window, and my clothes were finally dry. I wasn't sure if the quick nap made me feel better or worse after drinking last night, though from the dull headache I begun to feel I think I knew the answer to that.

There was something that I wanted to do this morning, something that had been gnawing at the back of my mind throughout the hours I was unable to sleep. Pulling on my clothes, as well as the fur and leather coat and boots that I found yesterday, I opened my bedroom door and walked quietly over to the room in which Fili, Kili and Thorin occupied.

Slowly I opened the door, yet it creaked in spite of my efforts. It didn't matter though; the two distinct sets of snores that met my ears made me realise that I could jump about their room playing a bloody trumpet and they wouldn't wake.

I could see exactly who it was sleeping in this room; Fili was lying where I left him last night, and Kili hadn't even made it to a bed. He was snoring quite loudly as he lay on the floor next to his own bed. Shaking my head, I moved over to him and grabbed a blanket, pulling it over the unconscious dwarf.

Thorin was missing though, and that was exactly what I was worried about. It wasn't just about Fili that I felt as though I needed to speak to him straight away, however. It was something else, something that kept buzzing at the back of my mind in which I couldn't quite understand as to why it was important.

I moved out of the room and closed the door behind me, moving down the flights of stairs to the kitchen. In opening the panty, I found that it had been restocked. Not bothering to think about when this had happened, I grabbed handfuls of fruits and baked goods, and stuffed them into the pockets of my coat.

When I had finally stocked up, I stepped through the dining room and towards the front door, opening it up to the late morning chill. Despite the sun shining quite nicely, there was such an icy stillness in the air that seemed to cling to me, and no matter what I did I couldn't quite warm myself up.

Folding my arms across my chest, I closed the door behind me. The sounds of Esgaroth met my ears as I walked out from the doorway. It was a chorus of busy noises; there was light laughter, a flurry of voices I couldn't quite decipher, clinks and clanks, jangling and clattering. It sounded like I imagined a Market would sound.

Moving towards the commotion, I came to what was indeed something like a market place. It was a much more open area as opposed to the thin streets of Lake Town, which stood on the side of the Town closest to Erebor. I was again overwhelmed by the behemoth mountain that rose and towered over us.

It took me a few moments before I was able to continue and observe the market that I was walking through. There were many wooden stalls stood along the house fronts, stretching down towards what looked to be a dock sitting in front of the Lonely Mountain.

The people around me seemed to either regard me in caution, or welcome me warmly; there was no in between at all. I walked up to many stalls and looked at the objects there; many pieces of jewellery of all different colours, shapes and sizes were sold at one. At another sat many candles, and I took my time to smell each one as I smiled at the plump but kindly faced woman on the other side.

"These are beautiful!" I exclaimed as I held a small green candle to my nose. It smelt like the trees in Spring, just as they were beginning to flower. Her lips spread into her round cheeks in a wide smile; the more I studied the woman, the prettier she became. She was probably in her forties or fifties, and her red coloured hair was tied back into a lose braid. The whole energy that radiated off of her felt warm and cheery.

"For you, Miss. I give to you as a gift." She had moved around the stall at that point, some type of fabric in her hands as she took the candle gently from my hands. It took me a few moments to comprehend what she was saying.

"What do you.. No, no I can't take that! I wish I had some.. Money, I guess, to buy it.. But I can't take it from you.." The woman swiftly wrapped the candle in the light, satin-type fabric and placed it back in my hands.

"You need not worry, love. As I said, it is a gift for you to keep." I was speechless for another few moments, before I began to argue again. It was in vain though, as she was adamant that I keep it. I ended up giving the kindly woman nothing but a hug in return, though we began to talk.

It was such an unfamiliar conversation, but also reminiscent of the world that I had grown up in. Her name was Tani, and she told me about her kids and her life in Lake Town. She spoke about the decline of Esgaroth in the years after Smaug, and she told me about her struggles in providing for her young son and daughter.

It really got under my skin, and I couldn't help but feel desperately empathetic towards her situation. What I didn't quite realise before that moment was that it wasn't just Thorin's people who had suffered.

As if on cue, a boy and a girl came running around the corner of the stalls, yelling and laughing at each other in delight. When they came to Tani and saw me, they hid behind their mother's dress, though I could see the curiosity in their eyes.

"Children, this is Miss Amelia. Do not be rude and say hello," she chided the two. They couldn't have been more than eight and ten, and I knelt down to their level so that I wasn't as intimidating,

"Hi there. It's nice to meet you both," I stuck my hand out towards the boy, who seemed to be older; he moved from behind his mother, and I could properly see his reddy-brown hair and his dark eyes.

"My name is Ildur," he exclaimed, meeting my hand with his own in a quick handshake. I turned to the young girl, who looked remarkably like Tani. She had red hair and green eyes as her mother, and though she shook my hand as well, the young girl was much more hesitant than her brother.

"My name is Cersa," the girl almost whispered. I grinned at the two of them, and put my hands in my pockets that were still full of fruit and baked cakes.

"Are you two hungry?" Both of them nodded their heads eagerly, and I pulled out two baked cakes that I had taken from the house. I saw their eyes almost light up with excitement, and they took them from my hands, quickly eating them.

I looked back up at the mother, and she smiled at me gratefully. With some words kindness from both of us, I continued to make my way down the rows of stalls. I was about to stop at one, when several figures at the end of the dock caught my attention for two reasons.

The first was that one of the figures was considerably shorter than the other, and the second was that I could hear the sound of what seemed to be arguing coming from them. I quickly moved through the crowd to the end of the stalls, and realised that the shorter person was in fact Thorin.

I felt relieved at first to finally see him, but then really worry swept over me as I got close enough to hear the end of the conversation.

"You will bring nothing but fire and death upon us! You have no right to enter that mountain!" The taller man whispered angrily, and Thorin looked fiercely back at him.

"I have the only right," Thorin replied just as intensely; I could almost feel the power rolling off of him. Luckily, they both noticed me walking towards them before I had to awkwardly interrupt their argument. The dark haired man gave a final glare to Thorin, before he turned from him and walked brusquely past me.

Thorin turned from both of us and faced back towards Erebor. I almost felt as though I was intruding after witnessing their argument and Thorin now gazing upon the mountain, but I had to talk to him. It wasn't that I wanted to, but I felt deep down that I _needed_ to.

"Hey Thorin, how's it hanging?" Under the pressure, I admit that it wasn't the smoothest thing I could have come up with, but I wanted to quickly break the awkward tension in the air. It's just that my mind wasn't as quick-witted as it could be after a night of drinking.

I was now standing next to him and could see from the corner of my eye the deep frown on his face. He didn't reply at all, and I myself begun to frown.

This was going to be harder than I thought.

Pulling out a cake and a pear-type fruit from my pocket, I offered it to the broody Dwarf. He turned to look at me, his frown now laced with some confusion.

"You haven't been back to the house since yesterday. Have some food; you've missed out on a lot of Bombur's cooking and a feast." He nodded slightly, only a ghost of a smile playing at his lips. I sat down after he took the food, my legs hanging over the edge of the wooden platform, not long enough to touch the water.

It took a while, but as I hoped, Thorin sat down as well. His eyes were still glued to the mountain as we sat in the afternoon sun that shone down on us. I knew that I had to speak to him now, before the chance was gone.

"Thorin," I started, glancing over to him before I said anymore. He looked at me with his eyebrows slightly raised, and I took that as a signal to continue talking.

"I know that it hasn't been easy for you, in letting Josh and I come on this quest and help the company. What I want you to know though, is how thankful we are that you let us continue with you." I felt his steel blue eyes on me, and I continued as I looked towards Erebor.

"Josh and I had never told you where we came from, and what happened to us before we found you. It wasn't that we didn't want to, it's just.. It is hard to talk about. Even Gandalf and the Elves don't completely understand it."

"Before we stumbled across Gandalf, we had been at our own house, with our father. He.. He had attempted to hurt Josh, and attacked me. That's why I looked like road-kill when we first met. That was what our father did to me, what he did to us. Even though you didn't accept us, you still took us in and we can't even express just how appreciative we are."

I looked again at Thorin, and I could visibly see something shift within his eyes; it was as though I had struck some deep nerve. His expression was laced with concern and regret. He opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted him.

"That's not all though.. Josh and I.. We.." I sighed, knowing all too well how this would sound to him. "We haven't come from Middle Earth. Gandalf and Galadriel said that it was an old magick that brought us here. They said that sometimes people disappeared from this world, and sometimes people arrived into Middle Earth from an unknown world.."

"I know how weird that sounds, but it's the truth and we felt as though it was about time you knew about it." I looked back at him, and he was surprisingly calm. He nodded his head, and looked back at the mountain.

"I knew there was something odd about you and your brother, I just couldn't pinpoint what it was." I frowned at him, his words and his lack of reaction. I was sure that there would have been something else; anger? Rage?

"How are you so calm about this?" I said to him, my surprise not hidden from my voice. He looked back at me with a grim smile on his face, and such emotion in his eyes that completely silenced me. I saw absolute sadness and despair there.

"My father, Thrain, was a great Dwarf. When he disappeared, many people whispered and spread their lies. They believed he had gone mad. I never believed that though. I always knew that there had to be something that stopped him from coming back to the Blue Mountains, something that caused him to disappear out of thin air."

I didn't speak for a while after that. Did his father somehow end up in our world? Gandalf had said that it has occurred before; although not often, it did. Thorin believed that something else happened to Thrain; was it a far stretch to believe the same thing happened to him as it did to us?

"I'm sorry about your father.. And about your Grandfather, and everything that has happened to you.. No one should have to go through so much." I wasn't sure what else to say, though my words were sincere. His whole demeanour and personality made more sense with each moment I took to understand what had happened to him. It made my heart ache for him and all he had lost.

"And I for you, Miss Amelia. Your life has shown you no mercy." He looked at me with what seemed like an empathetic smile on his lips. I wasn't sure I quite agreed with his words though. I shook my head slowly, almost contemplatively, in disagreement.

"No, but you don't understand. Even though my life has been mostly tragedy after another, there have been things worth fighting for. I've had Josh, and now I have you guys." We smiled at each other, and stared back at Erebor.

"While yourself and Josh have helped more than any one of us had anticipated, I am unsure as to whether you should continue with us to Erebor. We do not know if Smaug still breathes, and you will be at the most danger through being there. I am sure that my nephew would agree."

My heart and stomach just sunk, but I just couldn't be angry at his words. He was right in many senses. Surely we had helped them enough, and we didn't have to continue with them. Right? Again, I felt very conflicted as I had done for most of the time we had been here.

Do I try to protect Josh, and stop him from going into certain danger, or do we follow what both of us feel is right, and help those that we have begun to call family?

I knew right then that Josh would not have any of it. He was braver and bolder than I was, and he would sacrifice his safety to do what he felt was right. He had done so from not only the moment we found ourselves in Middle Earth, but all our lives. Hell, he didn't tell me for a year that he had been beaten by our father just so that I had a chance to get out and start my own life.

It was something that I knew he would be a part of, whether Thorin approved of it or not. We would just end up following them to the mountain as we had done when they left us at Rivendell.

I didn't particularly want to be left behind without them either. We had grown to love the company; each and every one of them had helped us, and I wasn't about to stay behind when they would possibly be hurt. We had told them that we would help them and that is something we would try to do.

There was a small part of me that didn't feel that way though. An inkling in my chest made me just want to run in the opposite direction, forgetting all of them and where they were about to go. That feeling made me feel sick though, and reaffirmed the knowledge that Josh was far braver than I would ever be.

Crushing the cowardly feeling that was desperately trying to grasp hold within my heart, I tried to think of some way that Thorin would allow us to go on and help the company, without Josh and I having to sneak after them.

"I understand that you're worried we won't be able to help you, or that we will get hurt. I know that Fili wouldn't want us to be in middle of the storm either. But Josh and I have come this far with you; we told you that we would help you to get your home back."

"But it isn't just about that anymore. Each one of you is like family to us now. You basically adopted us," I laughed slightly at my own words. Adopted by a group of Dwarves, yep; that was us. I continued to speak, the truth of my words clear.

"I know that family means a lot to you all. For most of our lives, the only family that we could actually call our own were each other. Now, we have you all, and we aren't going to let our family walk into something like this without following. There is no way that we could sit behind and wait; I know Josh sure as hell wouldn't."

Thorin looked at me once more, a twinkle in his dark blue eyes. He usually radiated a cold power, something that was distant and untouchable. Right now, however, warmth flowed off of him that felt something close to welcoming. He laughed then, and I swear it was something so whole and genuine that I couldn't help but smile brightly at him. Once he stopped, he sighed slightly and looked again to his home.

"I once took in two young boys, a long time ago." His eyes sparkled, his lips curved in a smile. "They were brave at heart, yet young and inexperienced. Those two boys have been the mercy in my life." He looked at me knowingly, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Fili and Kili," I murmured, and he nodded. Again we sat, before he spoke again.

"Fili will be King under the Mountain one day. The rest of the quest.. It is something that he must be prepared for and focused on. I do not wish for him to be distracted, if you take my meaning."

I knew exactly what he meant, though it didn't mean I was very enthusiastic about it.

"So you won't give your blessing?" I said almost dejectedly, not even attempting to hide how his words made me feel. He was still smiling slightly, and turned his whole body to face me.

"Not at this point, Miss Amelia. Once we reclaim our lost home, however, we can speak about the matter once more. Be prepared to leave on the seventh sunrise from now." With a last small smile, and a nod of his head, he stood from the dock and left me.

I stayed at the edge of the wooden platform for a long time after that. My eyes just gazed at Erebor in an attempt to truly take in the beauty and wonder of such a thing. I hadn't seen any mountains just so awe-inspiring in my life; even the ones that I saw in the movies or on television seemed nowhere near as incredible as this one.

The fact that Thorin had allowed us to finish the quest with them made me feel nervous but happy at the same time. Even knowing that he hadn't given his blessing to Fili and I at this time didn't make me feel as upset or angry as I would have thought. He had his reasons which I understood, and he had also given me hope that once Erebor was theirs once more, that the discussion would have a more positive outlook for me.

Erebor.. I wondered what it looked like inside. Dwalin had said that there was nothing that compared to the Dwarvish craftsmanship, but I just couldn't imagine it. Their whole city lay inside the rocks of the mountain; I couldn't even think of a place in our world that was like that.

I hoped for all of our sakes that Smaug had died in there. I really wasn't even sure how we were going to kill it, if it was alive. Dragons were only something of fairy-tales and make believe stories; to be going towards a place where one was supposed to be alive and breathing.. Well that was something truly terrifying. I just trusted that Thorin had some form of plan once we got inside.

While I sat there, thinking over all that Thorin had just said, I heard some small laughter and giggling from behind where I sat. Turning around, I found Ildur and Cersa hiding behind some wooden crates at the wall of the last house.

I motioned for them to come over to me, and they did so while still giggling between each other. Ildur was the one who spoke first, with his sister only slightly hiding behind him. She seemed a little nervous, though much more at ease than when I met the two earlier in the afternoon.

"Do you have any more cakes?" He asked with an almost shy look on his face. I just grinned at them both, and pulled out few of the remaining cakes from my pocket. Both giggled excitedly and took them from my hands. I expected the brother and sister to run away as soon as they took them, but they both stood there while they ate, looking at me in such open curiosity.

Ildur waited until he had finished the mouthful of food before he spoke again. By this time, I had turned myself completely to face them, my legs crossed in front of me.

"Did you come with the Dwarves?" He questioned excitedly.

"Yes, I did," I responded, and I chuckled slightly when his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. Cersa also looked quite surprised, her mouth hanging agape as she just looked at me.

"Why?" Cersa asked quietly. I smiled at that; I didn't realise just how blunt kids could be.

"Because they are my family, and I came to help them get home." They both looked at me almost dumbfounded, before looking at each other. I had no idea why they were quite so shocked.

"What's wrong?" I half laughed at them, and they began to look at my features in great depth.

"Are you a Dwarf too?"Cersa asked, taking a step forward to look at me further. Ildur put a hand on his sisters' arm, as if to keep her at a safe distance. I didn't really know how I could be intimidating at all, though I guess they were only children.

"No I'm not," I half-laughed, looking at them in amusement. "I'm human, just like you." It seemed as though Ildur breathed a small sigh of relief, but the questions did not cease.

"Where did you travel from?"

"Did you meet any Elves?"

"How did you get here?"

"Do you have any stories?"

As soon as I answered one question, they fired away with another almost instantaneously. It was when they asked me if I had any stories to tell them, that I was almost stumped. What could I tell them from our journey? I wasn't one for telling stories, or recounting anything, but it was the eager looks on their faces that had me sold.

"Okay, I do have a story to tell you. You better not tell your mother though, because I think it is a bit too scary for you.." They promised that they would not tell her, and sat down in front of me on the ground, mirroring my crossed legs.

And so I begun to tell them of our escape from the Wargs and Orcs, once we had left the Misty Mountains. I wasn't sure how well I was able to tell the story, but I was encouraged by the disbelieved and excited looks on their faces, so I continued as best as I could.

"It was when there was no hope left, and no way to escape, when _'whoosh!'_ Eagles swooped down and saved us at the last second. The Orcs shrieked in anger, but we had gotten away!" Once I finished my story, the two were wide-eyed and incredulous.

"But what about Thorin! What happened to him?" Cersa exclaimed, the concern audible in her voice.

"One of the Eagles plucked him from the mountainside, and flew him to a crag far away. When the Eagles dropped us down, we thought that he was gone. But luckily for us, Gandalf the Wizard saved him!" The two giggled and clapped between themselves, very much enthused about the tale.

I couldn't help but notice that these types of stories were told to children in our world; it just seemed so cliché. This wasn't something that was made up though. This was real, and while there was a happy ending at that point where we had all made it our alive, our journey wasn't over.

The mention of Gandalf also made me miss him terribly. It had been over a month since we last saw him, and I wondered if we would see him again. My thoughts were interrupted as Cersa and Ildur begun to imitate Eagles, running around the dock with their arms spread.

It was something so very heart-warming, yet the ever-cooling of the air reminded me just how late it was getting. The sun was already starting to set over the mountain, and I stood from where I was sitting.

Stretching my legs, I moved over to the two who were still playing with each other. I wasn't sure if Tani knew where they were, but I didn't feel comfortable in the slightest in leaving them out here alone.

"Ildur, Cersa," I exclaimed to them. They both flew over to me, still pretending to be Eagles.

"Let's go and find your mother, yeah?" They nodded enthusiastically, and we walked back towards the markets stalls, which were now being packed up. After finding Tani and leaving her with the remainder of my baked cakes for her children, I took off back to the house.

It was unsurprising that I found the company only just waking from their drunken sleeps, and it was even less surprising that the night was spent drinking, eating and sharing in one's company as joyously as we had the evening before.

My thoughts lay far away from the ever-expanding darkness that, unknown to me, was already beginning to clutch at the hearts of the company.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey lovely people! Thank you to my new followers and those who have favourited- you guys are awesome! Also, thank you to <em>Marina Oakenshield<em> and _Shadowsammy_ (it's great to have you back!) for your reviews :)**

**Finally Amelia has had a chance to talk to Thorin- I am really happy with the way that it turned out! Also, Tani, Cersa and Ildur sort of just wrote themselves into the story- I didn't have any intention of creating anymore of my own characters, but I am also happy with how they have come across.**

**It's all going to get very dark from here, as i'm sure you all may realise :) But I am hoping to have a new chapter out by the start of next week! Thanks again :)**


	22. The Journey Home

It had been seven sunrises since the afternoon I spoke to Thorin, and those sunrises came and passed sooner than I expected. The town seemed to be at a standstill while we were in their presence; each night was spent feasting and drinking, and the days preparing, exploring and training.

In the week since Thorin had given his approval for Josh and I to continue with the company, he had been persistent in making sure the both of us were learning more skills with our weapons. Kili and Josh would practice their shooting each morning at the edge of the forest, close to where we had first sighted Lake Town.

While Kili was helping Josh improve with his technique with the bow, I was paired with Fili as he had much more skill with dual blades than any other member of the company. If I thought that I would enjoy spending more time with him, I was horribly wrong. Fili was someone who believed in tough love it seemed. We sparred with our dual blades until I was completely covered in sweat and the muscles in my arms cramped and fell limp at my side, though even then he would force me to continue.

After the entire morning of training, we would rest for lunch and then spar for an hour or so more after we had eaten. Dwalin again insisted that Josh learned how to wield a sword, in the likely case he would need to defend himself in hand to hand combat. The thought made my skin crawl and my chest tighten nervously; however, I not only knew that Dwalin was right, but also that Josh would be learning from some of the most efficient fighters I had ever seen in my life.

It was those few hours after lunch that Dwalin would train Josh, and Gloin would work with me. It was absolutely exhausting and I ached each day. I knew that they were only trying to help Josh and I in being more prepared for what was ahead, but I couldn't help but feel annoyed when they pushed me beyond breaking point.

Besides the hours of sleep I had each night, the few hours before dinner were the only respite I had during the days, where I was able to bathe and then explore more of Laketown. Some days I went by myself, though most I would go with some of company; usually it was Josh but I also went with Bilbo, Ori, Kili or Fili.

There was one particular day that Josh, Fili, Kili and I wandered through the cramped streets of Lake Town, only two days after I had spoken with Thorin. We had made our way back to the wooden dock near to the markets, and found a number of young kids and teenagers playing, some of whom I recognised.

Ildur and Cersa were amongst them, as was the teenage girl who I remember from the feast the first night that we had arrived in the town. I also noticed quickly the almost timid smiles exchanged between Josh and the girl. When Ildur and Cersa realised that we were there, the two ran quickly over to me, eyes bright and full of curiosity as they often seemed to be.

"Miss Amelia! Do you have any more cakes? Do you have any more stories to tell us?" I knelt down to meet the eyes of the two; they smiled at me widely, though when they looked up at Fili, Kili and Josh, they seemed to shrink a little where they stood.

"You can't tell Tani about me giving you these cakes and filling your minds with all of these stories!" I chided them with a smirk. They both nodded their heads eagerly as I pulled two cakes from the inside of my coat. With many excited 'thankyous' from the two, I looked up at the three that were watching me with bemused looks on their faces.

"What?" I laughed, observing the way Fili's blue eyes twinkled and his lips curled into a smile. Josh grinned at me, and knelt down by my side to introduce himself to the two young kids. They both moved backwards, looking at Josh with wide eyes.

"Ildur, Cersa, this is my brother Josh. And these are my friends Fili and Kili," I said, motioning to each of them. Cersa looked up at the two Dwarves standing behind us, then back to Josh and back at me before speaking.

"Your brother is an Elf?" She stared again at Josh, her jaw slightly agape. I smirked at her before replying.

"Nah, he is just way tall for a human." The memory of Bofur trying to determine whether Josh was an Elf or a Human the first time we met the company came rushing back to my mind. I couldn't help but smile, when the girl from the feast came over to us.

"Hi, my name is Sigrid," she said shyly, a timid smile on her face as she glanced down at Josh. He just looked back at her with a toothy grin on his face. After introducing ourselves, Ildur and Cersa begun to ask us more questions. The most unsurprising one they asked though was if I could tell them another story.

And so we had sat down on the wooden platform once more, though this time there was a bigger audience. At first I had been so hesitant to the point that I almost refused to tell a story, but it was the excitement on the faces of Sigrid, Ildur and Cersa that won me over once more.

Josh and I sat next to each other, and even Fili and Kili had sat near to our sides; Sigrid sat beside Josh, while Ildur and Cersa were close to me. The nerves I felt at something as simple as telling a story made me feel near sick, but I ignored the feeling as best as I could and started with a new tale.

I decided to tell them about our travel through the Misty Mountains and the near-disastrous escape from the Goblin Tunnels. It was awkward and intimidating in recounting the events in front of Josh, Fili and Kili, though I attempted to ignore them and pretended to just tell the story to the two children as I had done a few days before. When I got to the part where the Goblin King was about to hurt the company, Cersa grabbed my arm while looking at me with wide, green eyes and her whole expression reflecting her surprise and disbelief.

Smiling down at her, I took her hand in mine as I recalled the escape from the Goblin King and out of the mountain. By the end of the story, which was quite obviously not just a story, Ildur and Cersa were clapping and laughing as excitedly as they had done before.

"How about you tell us a story now?" I exclaimed to the two. They looked at each other, their eyebrows drawn into frowns as if in deep thought. Finally, Ildur spoke and recalled a story that I knew, though from another perspective.

"Many, many years ago, there were lots of Men who lived in Dale, and-"he glanced quickly over to Fili and Kili, "-lots of Dwarves who lived under the Mountain. They lived there happily; they shared their jewellery, cloths and many beautiful objects with one another."

"They lived like this for many years, but one day a monster flew down from the North. Smaug, a great dragon begun to destroy Dale, but many tried to fight against him. Girion, the great Lord of Dale led the attack. He shot black arrow after black arrow at the mighty creature, only able to knock one iron-scale loose before the city was gone. He then took the Lonely Mountain for his own, after the Dwarves attempted to stop him."

"The great beast slept and slept with his gold under the mountain, and no one was willing to wake him. But many people spoke, that one day, the King of Carven Stone would come back and take his home back from Smaug."

Though the story was short and came from the mouth of a ten year old, it was incredibly effective. I glanced up at Kili and Fili, witnessing many things play across their now subdued faces. The emotions that stuck out as they were written in black marker across their foreheads, were the longing and pain that were so clear there.

Even Cersa and Ildur had become painfully quiet. They looked at one another, then at the two Dwarves, before Ildur spoke again.

"Our mother speaks to the other women at the markets. Has the King under the Mountain come back to take back his Mountain? Is it your family you are helping to get home?" Ildur looked at me, his knowing brown eyes as wide as his sisters. I nodded at him, answering each of his questions at once.

That had been just under a week ago now. Each day since then, we had walked through the Town and found Cersa, Ildur, and some of the other children, telling them both new and old stories. It had really become a daily routine to find them at the dock each afternoon, and sit there until the sun brimmed just over the horizon before we went to the Master's Halls.

Josh and I hadn't drunk alcohol since the night that Fili and I had taken him back to the house; it wasn't that we didn't want to, it was more so that we were absolutely and completely fatigued after training each day to do more than eat dinner and go to bed.

Bilbo had trained with us as soon as he had gotten over his cold, which only ended up lasting two or three days in total. He was feeling much better, though I continued to make him tea each day just in case. If he minded, he didn't say anything on the matter more than express his gratitude.

Three days before we planned to leave, was when we began to collect the equipment and provisions we would need for the rest of the way. Apparently the final part of our journey towards Erebor would take approximately three weeks on ponies, which we would be riding once we got to the main shore at the foot of Erebor.

With each day that passed, my attempts at keeping my worries at bay weakened. There was a constant knot in my stomach whenever I thought about the Mountain, and whenever I spoke to Thorin or found him sitting alone as he gazed upon Erebor.

Still, against my better judgement, I strengthened my resolve to ignore the feelings I was having about the journey to Erebor. It was something that I didn't want to be nervous about, especially when the feelings of cowardice continued to plague my mind. There was just so much to be anxious about; not only the safety of Josh, but that of the company.

The words that Fili had spoken to me also had me slightly on edge. My attempt at convincing Thorin of blessing our courtship had near failed, though I didn't tell Fili of my conversation with his Uncle. I didn't know in what way he would react, and it was something that I would rather wait til we get to the Mountain until we talked about it anymore. Thorin was right; there was too much at stake at the moment, and dealing with matters such as my relationship with Fili would make the whole quest much harder than it was already going to be.

I wasn't sure if Fili remembered his confession to me the night we had stumbled back through the house, just before he fell asleep. If he did, he didn't make any indication of it. We hadn't spoken properly since that night either, as we were so busy with training and with preparation for our journey. However, it was often when we were telling stories to the kids or exploring through the markets when we would watch each other. I saw the twinkle in his eye when Ildur or Cersa would ask him to tell a story or sing a song, and I felt his intense gaze on me as I hugged one of the children or snuck cakes out of my pockets for them.

The morning came that we were to leave on our way to Erebor; there was a feeling of sadness that radiated from my chest in the thought of leaving the children that I had become so fond of. Waking from my sleep, I quickly put on several layers of clothes that had been made for me over the past week. I still wore the tunic and slacks that I had been given by Bilbo, and the cloak that Arwen had gifted me with. However, the townspeople had given me a large though lightweight fur and leather coat to protect against the weather, as well as a pair of thick boots that reached to my knees.

I was more than grateful for the extra clothing; over the past week alone, the weather had chilled significantly, and I began to worry about what winter would bring. I had never been a fan of cold weather.

Gathering my rucksack that was now full of provisions for the trip ahead, I made my way downstairs to meet the company that were already eating the breakfast Bombur had prepared. We savoured probably the last hot meal we would have for some time; there were no celebrations this morning though. The tension in the air was near suffocating, and I knew that I wasn't the only one who was feeling extremely anxious about leaving Esgaroth.

Bilbo and Josh seemed particularly downcast, mirroring the extent of my emotions. Nudging Josh, who sat beside me at the breakfast table, I raised my eyebrows to question his lack of conversation. He grimaced at me and shrugged, turning back to eat the remnants of food on his plate.

In all honesty, I knew what was troubling him. Over the past week, he had been talking more and more with Sigrid, the girl who was in fact just a little older than he was, though younger than me. They seemed to become closer, and I saw a spark of something in his eyes that I had never seen there before, though I recognised much too easily.

I found out later, that Sigrid's father was the man with whom Thorin had been arguing with that day on the dock. His name was Bard, descendant of Girion, the man who had tried to defeat Smaug all those years ago while defending Dale. Josh also told me that Sigrid had a brother and a younger sister, named Bain and Tilda respectively. If it wasn't the look in his eyes that had given it away, it would have been the way that he spoke about Sigrid that pointed me to the liking he had taken to her.

It was something that I didn't mind in the slightest. In fact, it made warmth spread out across my chest in seeing something grow there. It gave me hope for Josh and his future after this quest ended; it was something promising, like some kind of proof that we _could_ truly have a life in Middle Earth. If I had any doubts before, they were most definitely crushed by now.

Once finished our breakfast, we gathered our belongings and headed out of the door into the early morning chill. We were warmed over by the sight that met our eyes and sounds that rung in our ears.

The townspeople had crowded outside the house and down the streets, towards the wooden dock we were to depart from in boats. There were cheers and whistles, and songs sung; most of which I had heard during the past week. As we made our way through the streets that were thoroughly packed with people, there were well wishes from many of them. Some would gently grab our hands, others would touch our shoulders, and many just exclaimed some words about spreading our fortune through Esgaroth.

All in all, it was a sight that eased the tension we had felt since this morning. I guess the simple idea that there were people on our side, for whatever reasons they may be, was truly comforting.

When we finally made it to the edge of the dock, we were met by two large and sturdy looking boats waiting for us. The Dwarves jumped in first, meeting several oarsmen that were already aboard. It was Josh and I that were last, still hesitant about leaving, even though it was what we both wanted.

Before I could take even another step towards the edge of the platform, a small hand gripped onto mine. Turning around and looking down, I met two pairs of eyes; one pair brown and one pair green. Both Ildur and Cersa had frowns intact on their faces as they looked up at me. I glanced around and saw Tani standing just behind the two, a forced smile on her chubby face. Apparently the kids weren't the only ones unhappy about us leaving.

I knelt down to face the two, looking at both of them with a small smile on my face as I spoke.

"Look after your mother, you two. You keep her out of trouble," I grinned up at Tani, looking again at both of them after she gave me something closer to a genuine smile. It was a surprise to me when Cersa, who was afraid of me to start with, was the first to wrap her small arms around my neck and give me a hug.

Despite my protests, I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I frantically tried to blink them away. I wrapped my own arms around her, hugging her just as tightly back. Ildur moved to do the same as soon as his sister let go. The tears couldn't be stopped then, and I inwardly cursed myself for being so prone to crying at the smallest of things.

Finally, I let go of him and stood up. With one last smile, I moved to the edge of the dock and hopped into the boat, joining Bifur, Bofur, Gloin, Balin, Thorin, Fili, Kili and Josh. I saw Josh waving goodbye to who I could make out as Sigrid standing from the edge of the dock.

It was to the melodious tune of gold, dragons and the King under the Mountain that we departed from the dock, away from the comfortable and into the vast unknown.

Three weeks had passed since we left the town of Esgaroth and travelled towards the looming behemoth that held a monstrous dragon. Instead of being exultant in reaching the foot of their home, the company were the polar opposite. Each of them was tense with trepidation and grim with fear. It meant that the three weeks were glum and more than nerve-wracking.

It had taken two days to cross the vast lake that stretched outwards and licked the shore that lay on the edge of the mountain. Once the sun had set on the day we had left, most of us had laid down in the limited space we had in an attempt to sleep. The only one from our boat who did not sleep, but instead gazed on the mountain, was Thorin.

The fixation he had on Erebor was something that made sense, as it was his home that he had travelled hundreds of kilometres to get to. However, it was when he begun to think more about the mountain than he would interact with the company that had me worried. I was sure he was uneasy about how we were going to get to Smaug and kill it, as was the rest of the company. But the hours that he spent alone, at a distance from even Kili and Fili, was something that I was not alone in fearing.

Bilbo had also noticed Thorin's behaviour, and confided in me eight days after we had arrived on land once more.

"Amelia," he had said as we were collecting firewood from the edge of the thinning forest that had stretched from the lake, but was now a lingering remnant of what had once been here. We were still within the tree line of the still green trees, though beyond this was a scarred and desolate expanse of land. Nothing grew in the area, and burnt trees which had fallen there had not been touched since what I assumed was Smaug's attack.

"What's up, Bilbo?" I said, looking at him as I registered the edge to his voice. His hand went to the pocket on the front of his vest, absentmindedly playing with the ring that I knew was hidden there. Averting my eyes from where his hand lay, I focused on the frown on his face as he glanced back towards where the company was setting up camp.

"Do you.. Have you spoken to Thorin of late?" It didn't surprise me when Bilbo had asked. I knew that if it was anyone to pick up on Thorin's strange behaviour, it was going to be Bilbo. He was one of the most observant of the company, besides probably Balin and Ori.

"Yeah, I did when we were at Lake Town.. You're worried about him as well, aren't you?" Bilbo looked at me for a few moments before he nodded, a drawn out sigh escaping his lips.

"He has been acting.. Different, I suppose. He is distant, as though his mind is already wandering the halls of Erebor." Bilbo was absolutely spot on, as he quite often was. Thorin was too busy thinking about what lay inside Erebor to worry about the company and exactly how we were going to find the hidden door.

Despite our shared anxieties for the leader of the company, we didn't know what to do. Thorin was stubborn and hard-headed at the best of times, and neither of us knew how to approach him about his worrying behaviour. In the end, neither Bilbo nor I said anything to him or the rest of the company. All we could do was keep observing Thorin and make sure that his behaviour didn't spiral anymore.

It had been twenty-three days that we had been travelling when we finally came to the bottom of Erebor. We had made sure that we circled wide around the mountain, only leaving the tree-line when Thorin and Balin were sure that we had cleared the line of view of the Front Gate of Erebor. They were uneasy about getting too close in the chance that Smaug was alive and keeping guard of the entrance.

The thought of being watched by a fire-breathing monster that could incinerate us at any moment did nothing in alleviating my anxiety and stress levels.

My sleeping pattern became more and more disrupted with each day we came closer to Erebor. When I did sleep, I would wake in a cold sweat with no memory of what I had been dreaming of. Because the company were sleeping and huddled close together through the cold nights, it went unnoticed when I would curl close to Fili's side after being awoken from the nightmares that were instantly forgotten.

Most of the company were unable to sleep properly either though; whenever I woke, it was guaranteed that at least three other members of the company were too, not including whoever was on watch.

On the twenty-fourth day, we set up camp at a rocky outcrop that was nestled in the side of the mountain face; we had begun to climb a rocky and narrow path that led slowly upwards at first, but soon became precarious. The footing became _so_ tedious, that we had to send the ponies back towards the lake. It seemed as though they didn't hesitate before galloping back down the path we had just trundled up. With our equipment and remaining provisions we had taken from the saddles, we continued until we found a campsite for that night.

It was at a large widening in the path, in what seemed to be a ledge of sorts. Balin had explained to Bilbo, Josh and I that it had been an old lookout post before the days of Smaug; the old Dwarf ran his hands along the mountain wall there, feeling the jagged rocks that jutted out from all angles.

"This used to be an entrance. It seems as though someone has blocked it up. Someone, or something." Balin looked at the three of us with a grim expression on his face, before he began to help set up camp.

There was no campfire that night; I wasn't quite sure whether it was out of fear of attracting Smaug or out of agony in remembering the pain caused from the flames that had brushed the stone of the mountain once before.

Huddling together even more than we had on previous nights, we all felt the bitter chill that grew more with each night. It was the end of autumn, and winter was upon us. That also meant that we were close to Durin's day, but we hadn't found the hidden door yet. It was Oin that voiced the pressure that all of us were feeling.

"We must reach the door before sunset falls on tomorrow day! If we do not, we will never get inside the mountain." It was those words that spurred us into faster movement the following day.

Just as the sun rose that morning, we set off with much less than what I would call a half-decent breakfast. Much as it had happened in while we were in Mirkwood, our food provisions were beginning to dwindle; Bilbo guessed that we had enough to last us another two or three weeks, though only if we ate a small amount each day.

Though that was the least of our worries, I couldn't help but feel my hope dissipate more and more.

Thorin sent Fili, Kili, Balin and Bilbo with some equipment to go ahead through a path that had been felled in places, covered with jagged rocks and climbing steeply upwards, to search for the door. I nodded to Bilbo and Fili, who had glanced at the company before quickly moving along the path.

I didn't want to think about the height we were currently at, though I couldn't help but look over the ledge as I saw the four move higher and higher until they disappeared from sight. We had travelled hundreds of metres from the bottom of the mountain, and I gulped at the sheer sight.

The arid and desolated land lay stretched out so far that there was almost no end to it; it was brown and grey in colour, until it met the pale green, oranges and yellows of a faraway forest that were only just visible. In the distance though, I could see many mountains that poked out from the horizon, seeming so far away that they were unreachable.

Thorin paced up and down the ledge all morning, while the rest of the company checked provisions, searched other possible paths and discussed our plan when-and if- we were to find the door.

The hours ticked past at an incredibly slow rate, until a yell came from above us when the sun was high in the sky. Each of us rushed to our feet, my heart racing and stomach knotted in anxiety at whatever caused one of them to shout down for us.

We couldn't hear what they were saying, and they more than likely couldn't decipher us either. It was something that I didn't expect in the slightest that solved our communication issues, in the form of Bilbo, hoisted down the mountain face by a rope tied around his waist.

He looked absolutely frightened as he gripped onto the rope that held him, gradually moving lower and lower. As soon as he made it to the ledge in which we were on, he scrambled against the mountain face, breathing heavily.

"Well, burglar! What is it?" Thorin almost growled, the bass in his deep voice sending a chill down my spine. Bilbo looked at him in almost bewilderment, glancing between Thorin and the rest of us who had crowded around him.

"There.. We.. We think we found the door, though I suppose.. It's not a door yet, but Balin believes that the stone there is not of the mountain.." Bilbo's nervousness had been extinguished and his excitement took over, though he still stumbled and stuttered across his words.

Thorin turned to the company, giving sharp orders as they listened intently.

"We will continue up the path. Each of you will carry two packs." It was then that Bilbo stepped forward again, a frown on his face and clenched hands on his waist.

"The path is much too narrow. Both Kili and I almost tumbled back down to the bottom of the mountain several times, not to mention it took us several hours to climb our way upwards. It is high noon, and we have no time. We must hoist our packs, equipment, and ourselves up by the rope. Fili, Kili and Balin have already tied it securely to a large boulder atop the ledge."

"There is no chance of getting me up there, Master Baggins! The rope would not bear my weight." Bombur sat down dejectedly upon a rock that lay on the ledge. The company begun to survey the situation, then discussed it, and then unsurprisingly begun to argue.

"Enough of this! Bombur, you will stay here with a small number of the provisions. We will hoist everything else, including ourselves up. Mister Baggins, you will go up first to tell Fili, Kili and Balin of our plan."

Bilbo nodded at Thorin, though in realising that he would have to be pulled back up, became nervous once again. Once he had been tied onto the rope, he tugged on it until Fili, Kili and Balin realised that someone needed to be pulled up.

It took about ten minutes to pull him all the way back up. It felt as though I was holding my breath the entire time, though when Bilbo clambered over the edge and the end of the rope came falling back down, I exhaled.

The process took around two hours, though in consideration of the other option, we made much better time than climbing the path would have taken. Bofur decided to stay behind with his brother; they were going to look after some of the provisions and most of the equipment until we had found and opened the door.

When it was my turn to be hauled up the side of the mountain, I felt as nervous as Bilbo had been when it had been him. Bofur tied the rope around me in such a way that it wrapped around my stomach and under my legs, providing a chair of sorts that wouldn't put pressure on my stomach as it was tied around me.

"You alright, lass?" Bofur whispered to me; despite the small smirk on his lips, I could basically feel the nervousness rolling off of him in waves. The smirk didn't quite reach his eyes either, and I couldn't blame him for being so anxious. Everything about what we were doing screamed danger and imperilment of our lives.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I murmured back to him. The look in his eyes told me that he didn't believe that, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he put a gentle hand on my shoulder as he pulled on the rope to tell the others I was ready to be pulled up to them.

I took one glance at the world around me when my feet left the ground, and that was the last look I took. I closed my eyes tightly shut, attempting to calm myself down and convince myself that I was not attached to a rope hanging hundreds of metres above the ground.

Calming myself down did not work in the slightest.

My breathing came out in sharp pants as I gripped the rope so tightly with both hands that I was sure it would cut straight through the flesh. It felt like a lifetime that I was up there. I couldn't hear anything but the pounding of my heart through my ears, and feel the soft breeze against my cheeks.

I finally heard the sound of voices as I moved through the air; it gave me comfort to know that I was close to being on solid ground once more. The pulling stopped, and I opened my eyes very slowly to see that I was just under the rocky ledge.

"Amelia," a voice whispered to me. Looking up further, I could see the extended arms of the Dwarf with the sky blue eyes. It took much effot to let go of the rope as I feared falling back down, but Fili took my hands in his own as he swiftly pulled me over the edge.

I felt as though I could breathe again as I stood on my two feet; I had moved away from the ledge quickly, though I hadn't left the arms that had pulled me over to solid ground. I looked from the stone where I stood to Fili's face, his eyebrows pulling into a slight frown.

"Are you alright?" He murmured, the rough skin of his palms lingering on my hands. I nodded, attempting to send him a reassuring smile as I moved to pull the rope from around my body.

I knew it was Josh who was going to be pulled up next, and I waited anxiously as Fili sent the rope back down, and Bifur and Dwalin lifted him up the mountain side. After an almost agonising ten minutes, Fili leaned over and pulled my not-so-little brother over the ledge. He seemed just as freaked out as I was, and while it was reassuring that I wasn't the only one who had almost melted down, I moved close to his side to make sure he was alright.

It took a short while for him to get his breathing under control and to stop his hands from shaking, but he was fine. In the meanwhile, Ori and Dori were the final two Dwarves to be brought up from down below.

I could feel the warmth of the sunlight begin to leave the air as we pulled up our belongings; in glancing to the horizon, I realised that the sun was beginning to fall low in the evening sky. I hadn't said anything, though I didn't need to. Balin quickly reminded the group that they were running out of time, and they needed to find the door before the sun set.

Josh and I took over in pulling the belongings up, while the rest of the company searched for the door. I now understood what Bilbo had said about the mountain face here; it was a much darker colour, almost coal black slate, which rose only a few meters from the surface of the ledge we were now standing on.

"Quickly! Find the keyhole. Dwalin, Nori," Thorin ordered, his shoulders tense with anticipation and apprehension. Dwalin and Nori moved forward swiftly; the burlier Dwarf instantly begun to push at areas of the stone, while Nori had taken out a metal spoon and a type of ear trumpet from his pocket. Holding one end to the wall and the other to his ear, he started to tap the spoon against the wall in different places.

Josh and I continued to pull up the last of the packs as the sunlight began to grow dim and weak in the oncoming darkness. We threw the rope back over, and stood close to the company as they started to use their weapons against the wall as black as midnight.

"The light is fading! Open it!" Thorin shouted as he moved to the wall as well. The company had become desperate; their swords and axes made no mark in the mountain side, nor their yells and grunts of frustration. Fili and Kili were beside their uncle, searching frantically for a key hole to get into the mountain.

I could see the vexation on each of their faces as they all searched and fought for the entrance. It was only Bilbo, Josh and I who looked on, watching them with such helplessness.

It was only when the last rays of sunlight dispersed into the night, when they finally stopped. The company looked at each other, their faces showing all too clear the pain that they felt in losing their only chance. It was Thorin who hadn't moved though.

He stood with his face to the slate, his fists clenched against the cool stone while he held his head low. No one spoke. There was nothing in the air but the chirping of a bird in the distance, and the vague sound of wind brushing the mountain side.

"This was the only chance we had. Durin's Day is over. Our quest has failed." Thorin was the first to speak, though the last to move from where he stood. When he did turn around to face Balin the company, the expression on his face broke me.

"What did we do wrong? Balin, why did it not work?" Thorin's voice cracked, his words almost pleading. I had never heard Thorin speak like this, and it made my eyes water to see his reaction.

No one answered him. No one seemed to be able to. He looked around to each of us, a question in his eyes that we didn't have the answer to.

"We were too late," Balin spoke after some time. Thorin looked at him as if wishing his words were not true. He was about to speak, but it was Bilbo who cried out, near frightening me.

"Do you hear that!" He exclaimed, his voice excited and nervous all at once. We all quietened to hear a hollow knocking from what sounded like inside the mountain wall. On closer inspection, the source of noise was actually coming from outside the stone.

A dark brown bird stood atop a large boulder with something solid within its beak; the sound we could hear was the animal cracking the object against the boulder.

"It's a thrush, Thorin," Oin pointed out, his voice indicating the surprise he must have felt.

"A thrush!" Bilbo exclaimed. "'Stand by the black stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole!'" Bilbo recited the words that the map held, and quickly moved closer to the animal while glancing all about him.

"It's a riddle! 'With the last light will shine upon the key-hole..'" No one moved or spoke, besides Bilbo, who was now pacing and looking towards the horizon, and above him at the sky.

"A-ha! It is the moonlight. The moonlight will shine upon the key-hole! Quick, step back!" Each of the company effectively moved away from the wall within a matter of seconds. Bilbo also took a step back as well, examining the door from a distance as he glanced at the moon that I realised sat in the sky above us.

There was no noise but the knocking of the thrush; even the breathing of the company seemed to come to a cessation. After what seemed like an eternity, Bilbo jumped forward with an excited yelp, and cried for Thorin to get the key.

Thorin moved swiftly, taking the key from his pocket and stepping forward to what we had all just witnessed. Through the night, a sliver of silver moonlight broke through and shone upon a single place in the black, slate surface.

What we didn't see before, amongst the many other crooks and crevices of the mountain side, was a small fissure where the light was now pointing. Thorin took out his key, and without another moments' hesitation, he placed the key into the cleft.

With a loud crunching noise, Thorin had turned the key. From then, all I heard was a number of grinding sounds. Thorin paused, looking at Bilbo and the company before turning back to the wall and pushing again.

This time something gave way; a thin, rectangular line appeared as I realised that it was in fact the door that I was witnessing open. Mouth agape, I watched as Thorin pushed the door the whole way.

There was a sigh from the rock as it shifted under the strength of the great Dwarf. A smell of musty, old air filled my nostrils, as I glanced down the corridor which seemed to be bathed in darkness.


	23. The Hobbit and The Dragon

**Note: As I have said before, everything excluding my OC's belong to the great and wonderful Tolkien.**

* * *

><p>There was a collective exhale from the entire company, though no words were spoken. This moment was beyond words for them; it was what they had been dreaming of for god knows how many years, and fighting towards for the past five or six months.<p>

It was when Thorin turned around to face us that there was some noise. Thorin's face was utter and pure triumph. The company did not raise their voices more than they dared, though from their excited murmurs I knew that they reflected exactly the emotions that were present on Thorin's face.

I looked at Bilbo, who had moved far away from the entrance door, then to Josh who still stood beside me. They did not seem anywhere near as excited as the Dwarves in our presence. I felt the exact same way though; we had opened the entrance, but we hadn't gotten past the most important part of this quest.

There was a dragon lurking down the dark stone corridor. That little problem wasn't going unnoticed by the three of us, though it had escaped the attention of the others for a period of time.

It wasn't until the voices of the Dwarves seemed to grow, when Balin spoke up.

"Thorin. We must rid Erebor of Smaug before we begin any form of celebration." The others went dead quiet and Thorin suddenly looked up to Bilbo, then over at us.

"It is time for our burglars to do as they came for." I gulped, the fear creeping throughout by veins and igniting my nerves.

This couldn't be happening.

We were about to be eaten by a fucking dragon.

I felt myself slipping, the anxiety overwhelming me as I frantically fought to stay afloat. I took Josh's hand quickly in mine so as to keep myself above the surface.

"What are we to do?" Bilbo asked hurriedly, looking anxiously between Thorin, and Josh and I. The Dwarf moved closer to Bilbo before he spoke.

"You must find and bring back the Arkenstone to me. The Dwarf whom owns the heart of the Mountain, claims right over Erebor. We must take it back in order to justify our right to rule the Lonely Mountain, and call the Dwarvish armies from the Iron Hills to defeat Smaug."

Wide-eyed and fidgeting, Bilbo nodded his head nervously at Thorin's words. Despite his attempts at being confident, the way that Bilbo spoke next indicated the extent of the fear that had also taken hold of him.

"How are we to find this Arkenstone?" His hand never left the front pocket of his vest, though his voice quivered as he spoke.

"The precious stone is like sunlight and moonlight combined into a form so precious, that it glows as a far distant star might shine. It is something that is unmistakeable and unforgettable. You will know what it is as soon as you lay eyes upon it; there is no other like it." The way that Thorin recalled this great jewel was as if he was talking about a long-lost friend.

There was a longing in his voice that fell short of innocent. There was something more to his words, as if this object was of great desire, beyond the need of having it to rule the mountain once more.

Bilbo shifted nervously again, eyeing the entrance of the Mountain as he did so.

"I will show you through as far as I dare, without the risk of alerting Smaug to our scent, if he is alive." Balin moved towards the door and stopped, waiting for the three of us to follow. Josh and I glanced at each other. He looked just as overwhelmed as I felt, though he nodded his head sharply in spite of that.

Letting go of his hand, both of us moved from the ledge and towards the stone doorway; I could feel the eyes of the others on us but I tried to ignore it. Their gazes made me feel as though I was somehow qualified to be doing what we were about attempt. That was no way true in the slightest.

Balin had begun to walk inside, with Bilbo following slowly behind him. I was about to follow suit, when a hand on my forearm stopped me.

I looked into Fili's anxious blue eyes; there was no attempt to disguise his concern, and I felt my stomach sink. I opened my mouth to say something, anything that would reassure him, but he beat me to it.

"I know I cannot change your decision to go in there, as I know that you will follow your brother wherever he goes. But can you please promise me something?" His voice was little above a murmur, and I doubted anyone else could hear his words. Even if they did, I didn't care. Nodding my head, he continued.

"Promise me you will be careful, and promise you will not do anything reckless." His gentle grip on my arm had become tighter as he spoke, as though in doing so he would be able to keep me safe. I wished that I could stay there instead of going in and possibly facing a dragon. I wish that I wasn't here in general, where all of our lives were in certain danger.

Even though I wished these things to be true, I couldn't and wouldn't back out of this. Josh was going to keep his word no matter what, and I was going to follow and protect him no matter how terrified I was.

"I promise," I whispered to him, and held my little finger out to him. He took it in his own, and with great reluctance he let me go.

I took in a deep breath, and followed after Bilbo and Balin, with Josh at my heels. We entered the stone passageway slowly, walking into the darkness that enveloped us.

After a few moments of adjusting our eyes, we could see a very dim light at the end of the corridor. The air was heavy with undisturbed dust and the smell of old, musty things. It was disgusting. Balin led us down the passage that slowly declined, bent around a corner and then down a small set of stairs.

We couldn't have walked for more than five minutes before the dim grew steadily lighter and Balin stopped in front of us. His face was grim and shoulders tense, which near petrified me.

"This is where you must continue on your own. Any further, and I fear that my familiar Dwarven scent will stir the beast." Balin placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulder and nodded deeply.

"The courage of Hobbits never ceases to amaze me," he said to Bilbo, a warm smile in place on his face as he placed his hand on Bilbo's shoulder. Bilbo grimaced and nodded, as Balin moved to Josh and I.

"Nor humans. Each of you have a place within this company, always." Balin bowed deeply to the three of us, before he turned and walked quickly back up the stairs we had come down. The three of us looked at each other and just gulped.

We were on our own. It wasn't for the first time we had been alone in doing something on this quest, but this was different. If we didn't succeed, there was a fiery inferno waiting at the end for us.

Unconsciously, I had taken half a step backwards. Before I found myself running away from what was before us, Bilbo spoke.

"I-I think that we should.. Ah, we should.." He was just as nervous, and that stopped me from leaving. I couldn't just leave him here by himself to do this. I would never forgive myself if I left him, let alone Josh, down here to steal the Arkenstone themselves.

"Bilbo, I will go down with you. Josh, you should stay here." He was about to argue, before I continued over the top of him.

"We need someone close to the company in case we need to relay a message back to them. If anything goes wrong, you have to run back and warn them, okay? Besides, you're too tall and lanky. If Smaug wakes up, I will be able to hide myself easier and run away faster. It's the smartest thing to do."

I had tried to sound confident as I spoke, and I don't know where the courage came from in which I was able to do so. I feared that if I was audibly doubtful and hesitant when I spoke, that Josh wouldn't agree to what I was trying to do.

The truth was that there was no way I was going to let Josh down any further. I wanted him as far away from this as possible, and closer to the company. I couldn't have stopped him in coming to Erebor and helping the Dwarves, but I did have a role in protecting him as much as I could right now, and that's what I was going to do. I interrupted him when he began to question me, a deep frown on his face.

"No, Josh. You know that it's the only way to do it. You have to trust me on this." He looked into my eyes through the darkness, the conflict brewing within him much too clear on his face. After what seemed like a long time, he nodded hesitantly.

"Alright. Bilbo and I will go down and find the stone. You stay here, and if there is any sign that this goes south, run and tell the company, okay? Don't come for us. Josh, promise me you will go to them." Again, it took him a long time before he reluctantly agreed.

I hugged him fiercely before Bilbo and I looked towards the end of the corridor, and moved slowly away from Josh. If I didn't hear the clear sound of my heart pounding in my ears, I would have been sure that my heart broke then, as I looked back at the terrified look on Josh's face.

It took all that I could muster to turn back around and continue walking with Bilbo.

The grey walls surrounding us were unlike those that had been inside the Mountain of the Goblin tunnels. These were expertly carved, the walls smooth with what was surely many years of work. The ceiling was low, obviously built for a Dwarven race instead of anyone else. The limited room in which we were in was terrifying me; it was as though I was becoming increasingly claustrophobic as we continued.

It was getting harder and harder for me to breathe, until the light in front of us became more visible.

The dull glow grew until we could see exactly where our feet were leading us. We walked down several more sets of stairs, and many long corridors before the musty air became not so musty.

Finally, the end of the passage was in sight; we tiptoed gently forward, afraid that our footfalls would awaken Smaug, if he was in fact still alive. As we rounded the corner, the sight that lay before us took both of our breaths away.

I could not believe the absolutely incredible sight of it. Mountains upon mountains of shimmering gold and glittering jewels spread into a vast chamber, the size of which dwarfed Thranduil's Halls or the Goblin tunnels.

It was probably a hundred times larger than either, so expansive that I couldn't even see the end of it.

I now fully understood why Smaug had taken Erebor. Bofur had told us many months ago that a dragon was greedy, and susceptible to the allure of precious metals. It seemed that Smaug had hit the jackpot in taking Erebor.

Bilbo looked utterly dumbfounded, and I felt the same way. How were we supposed to find the Arkenstone? There were probably millions and millions of jewels down there. This was an impossible task; we didn't even know what the Arkenstone looked like.

Slowly, we took furtive steps down the staircase that led to the piles of coin, jewels, gold-plated chests and goblets. It took a long time for us to really comprehend our surroundings, and finally begin to search.

My stomach was in such a tight knot that I felt physically ill as my eyes anxiously searched the surroundings for any sign of Smaug. So far there was nothing, though with each sound we made, I feared the worst.

The extent of wealth in this mountain was overwhelming. It was as though I had been dropped into some treasure hunting movie, where we had stumbled across lost riches from a civilisation long forgotten. My mind wandered to images of El Dorado from books that I used to read in school when I was just a child.

I imagined the people from our old world, and how much they would do to get their hands on this much wealth. I almost laughed in spite of where I currently was; I'm sure that not one of them would face a dragon in an attempt to take this. Either the Dwarves were incredibly brave, or ridiculously stupid.

Our attempts at staying silent were mostly successful, until we needed to scour through the piles of gold for any sign of the precious stone that Thorin was so anxious about getting back. We would accidently pull a gem from a place that caused coins to slide down and clang against the cold stone floor, forcing us to stay completely still until we knew nothing stirred within the hall.

It was hopeless. There was not a chance that we would be able to steal this stone. I let out a loud sigh, crossing my arms across my chest as I looked at the vast piles that rose and fell above us. Bilbo looked up at me from where he was searching through a chest of gems, his face expressing the question that lay behind his lips.

"It's too much!" I whispered in frustration, answering his unspoken question. "We don't have enough time to find it like this!" I angrily kicked the ground at my feet, not realising that there were a number of coins that had been sitting there.

My foot connected with the pieces of gold, sending them clinking and clattering across the stone floor as the sound ricocheted off the walls of the chamber.

Wide eyed and frozen, I stared at Bilbo in fear as he stared back at me in trepidation. If I wasn't so scared, I would have hit myself for being such a fucking fool. It was an eternity before either of us could move again. My shoulders relaxed, and I released the breath that I had been holding the entire time.

Just as I did so, an even greater sound of metal sliding and scrapping against each other sounded far behind us, coming from high in a particular mountain of gold that seemed to tower over the rest. Bilbo and I jumped back from the sound, our mouths agape in shock.

Hundreds of pieces of gold slid down towards us. We waited for a long time until we were sure it was safe to move again. My nerves were fried from the stress and from being so on edge. My eyes were strained on the mountain of gold that had moved, waiting for something, but hoping for nothing.

It was through this that I saw a flash of white and orange from the gold and gems that had slid down to only a few hundred metres from us. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, either here or in our old world.

"Bilbo, look!" I murmured, pointing to the stone that seemed to be circled in silver with a core of sunlight; it was shining with the strength of one hundred stars, twinkling amongst the yellows of the gold that surrounded it.

"Surely.. Surely that is the Arkenstone, Miss Amelia!" He exclaimed in a whisper. Thorin was right. There was nothing that could come close to the beauty of such a stone. I couldn't help but smile in our luck; we would be able to climb and grab it, getting back to the Company within the hour.

Stupidly, neither of us truly considered what it was that had caused the piles of gold to shift and move from the mountain. Both Bilbo and I were beginning to search out a way up to the stone, when the mountain shifted again.

We watched on as a stream of gold, Arkenstone and all, came flowing slowly towards us. My eyes flicked upwards for a split second, but what I saw made me fall to the ground in terror, pulling Bilbo with me.

I started to hyperventilate; the air was only getting to my lungs in laborious pants. Again I was sinking and I couldn't keep my head above water. I had just witnessed the one thing in my life that I would have never believed, nor ever wanted to see.

A dragon.

As the gold moved, it had revealed a dark red and crimson figure underneath. The enormity of the thing was terrifying. From the ground where we were now laying, Bilbo was looking at me incredulously. I could only whisper the word 'Smaug', though by the absolute look of terror on his face, he knew exactly what I meant.

Slowly, the both of us lifted ourselves little by little off of the ground, as we tried to see over the gold near our faces. Seconds went by as we moved centimetre by centimetre, until the sight we both dreaded came into both of our views.

There, half covered by a pile of gold, lay the scaled figure of what I could only describe as a giant lizard-type beast. I could see its half of its head, connected to a slithering, long neck. From its broad shoulders stretched a leathery looking skin that I could only imagine were wings. The wing most visible to us was attached to a front leg, which was the width of a hundred trees. His scaled back extended further down, almost encircling the area that we were hiding. I could see part of its tail, until the razored length disappeared from sight underneath its hoard of gold.

"Amelia, go back to the passageway. I will slip on the ring and take the Arkenstone while Smaug sleeps. If he wakes, he will see you." I could see the logic in his words, but I couldn't leave him there. This wasn't something Bilbo should be doing. Hell, this wasn't something that either of us should be doing! We weren't fighters, we weren't dragon slayers; we weren't even burglars!

"I'm not leaving you here!" I murmured angrily to him, just as we heard the sliding sound of gold, even louder than before.

"Go now! He is waking!" Bilbo cried, pushing me with force back towards the door. I looked at him in horror and desperation, before scrambling back towards the passage as fast as my feet allow. I couldn't have run any faster even if I tried, though my movements got me out of sight just in time.

"Well, thief!" A booming, sinister voice cried out from the large hall. "I smell you and feel your air. Come along and help yourself, as there is much to spare!" I cowered down behind the stone wall in which I was hidden, too afraid to look at the creature from which the voice originated.

Smaug was awake.

"No, thank you, O Smaug the tremendous!" Bilbo's voice rung out from hall; he sounded slightly afraid, but for the most part the tones in his voice rung with confidence.

"I simply came to gaze upon you, for I did not truly believe you were as great as the tales say." There was a deep, menacing chuckle before the crash and clink of thousands of pieces of gold sliding against one another.

I dared to look out from behind the wall, and instantly regretted it when I saw Smaug. He was standing atop the piles of gold now, his wings outstretched fiercely and his chest puffed out in a show of how magnificent he really was. I was in awe by the sight. Never in my life did I imagine witnessing something so unbelievable, something that I thought never existed.

My awe-struck reaction was shattered when the creature spoke again, sending chills down my spine. Bilbo was still down there. I had no idea what I could or should do; my body was frozen in place as I listened to the Hobbit and the Dragon.

"Do you believe the tales now?" The beast questioned, its tremendous voice booming loud through the space.

"Truly, songs and tales fall utterly short of the reality, O Smaug, the chiefest and greatest of calamities," Bilbo responded, his voice beginning to falter slightly. I couldn't imagine what he must be feeling under the gaze of Smaug; I was in a relatively safe position and I was still scared stiff.

"You have nice manners for a thief and a liar!" Smaug hissed, snaking his head closer to the Hobbit. "You seem familiar with my name, though I do not seem to remember smelling you before. There is another scent I can smell, something that I cannot quite place. Who are you and where do you come from?" Bilbo hesitated as he looked him at the great creature, his hand fiddling with his vest pocket.

"I come from under the hill, and under hills and over hills my path has led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen."

"Such lovely titles, though I hardly believe that is your usual name."

"I am clue-finder and web-cutter; I am he who drowns his friends and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of a bag, but no bag went over me. I am the friend of bears and guest of eagles. I am the Ringwinner, Luckwearer and Barrel-rider."

Bilbo's riddling was keeping the dragon at bay, but for how long I didn't know. Peering at Bilbo's figure from where I was hiding, I saw him tiptoeing slightly away from where I was.

_What are you doing, Bilbo!_ I thought anxiously to myself, the fear gripping tightly at every limb of my body. Then I saw exactly what he was doing. The Arkenstone was shining at the bottom of the pile of gold at Smaug's feet. My heart stopped beating. If the dragon saw what he was trying to do, he was going to be eaten.

"There is another scent I sense, not from you however, O Barrel-rider; something vaguely familiar, yet something _otherworldly_." The way he hissed the words made me cling to the wall further from the entrance. I could hear and feel the air move close by, as if something was there and smelling the air towards the entrance.

I thought more than anything that Smaug was going to discover me; he could smell me and it was going to ruin Bilbo's attempt at getting the Arkenstone. Everything seemed to slow down. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I thought about Josh and the rest of the company. I thought about Fili, and I thought about my mum.

I didn't know what Smaug would do; eat me or burn me? Could I get away? Surely not; there was no way I would be able to outrun a dragon. The thought of dying flashed before my eyes. This was going to be the end of my life, the end of my existence from not only my old world, but this one which I had begun to call home.

The sounds of sniffing and deep growls were only metres away from me now. I was paralysed with fear; I was about to get eaten and I couldn't even fight for my life. Not this time. I closed my eyes tightly in an attempt to block out what was about to happen to me and to stop the tears flooding in my eyes. A strangled sob escaped past my lips.

Within a split second, everything changed.

There was an echoing _pitter-patter_ coming from inside the hall, and the next moment a terrible roar pierced the thick air. The noise was so violent and explosive that I had to cover my ears with my hands; the shock of it shattered the immovable state I was in, and I snuck my head around the corner to see what had happened.

Smaug was thrashing his tail and searching the area, much like a cat would stalk its prey. I couldn't see Bilbo or the Arkenstone, and I realised what the Hobbit had done.

"You think that you can take my jewels, Barrel-Rider? You think that you can steal what is rightfully mine? I think not!" He roared again, deafening my ears.

The earth beneath me began to shake, as suddenly something grabbed me hard by the arm. I screamed, closing my eyes tight and thrashing against whatever was trying to grab hold of me.

"Amelia!" A voice whispered urgently to me. Opening my eyes again, I could see nothing there at all. Finally my brain kicked into gear, the fear loosening and the adrenalin pumping through my veins.

"Bilbo!" I cried, holding onto the figure that was unseen by my eyes though I could feel there.

"We must go and warn the others!" He exclaimed, taking hold of my hand as he dragged me back up the passage. I could hear the rage from Smaug behind us, echoing through the corridors as we ran.

I had never run so fast in all my life. Not when I had run from our house after being attacked by my father; not when we had sprinted away from the Orcs, or when we fought our way out of the Goblin Tunnels.

Right now we weren't just running for our lives, but we were running to protect the lives of those closest to us.

I couldn't remember where Josh had been waiting, but we didn't run into him. Time both sped up and stood still, and I feared that we were running out of it. I felt as though we should be getting close to the entrance of the tunnel, when Bilbo and I turned another corner and run straight into something soft but solid.

"What the fuck!" I cried as I fell to the floor, looking over to see who I had collided with. If I wasn't so gripped with fear and urgency, I would have been relieved to see the two Dwarven brothers who were now helping Bilbo and me off the ground. Fili looked at me with such relief as he opened his mouth to speak, but there was no time.

"Run, you idiots!" I yelled, pushing them back towards the way that they had come. The pure fear that I heard in my own voice seemed to be what pushed them into action. We sprinted down the passageway, the sounds from behind us spurring us forward. Suddenly, I felt a breeze of cool air and saw the pale light of the moon shining ahead.

We burst out into the chill of the winter night, finding the company rushing about and pulling up Bombur from below us. Bofur had already been hoisted up before we had gotten there; I thanked our quick-thinking earlier in leaving Josh behind. He was next to the company, panting for breath, as he had seemingly run ahead of us when he heard Smaug. I silently thanked him for keeping his promise and running to the company instead of Bilbo and I. I couldn't say the same for Fili and Kili, who must have run down the passage to try and find us when Josh had warned them of Smaug's awakening.

"We need to get everyone inside right now!" I yelled to the company, quickly grabbing as many packs as I could carry and throwing them into the mouth of the passage. They all turned to look at us with a mix of relief and fear, registering the terror in my words at the same time they realised we were alright.

I grabbed Josh's arm and pushed him into the passage, his mouth agape in confusion. Bilbo begun to grab as many rucksacks as he could manage, tossing them towards where Josh was standing. There were grunts and yells from the rest of the company, as they all heaved against the rope that Bombur was tied to.

Despite the weight of the Dwarf, the company pulled him up within seconds; there was simply no time for pleasantries. Dragging him over the ledge and ripping the rope from his body, they ran towards the door just as a piercing shriek filled the sky.

Horror filled their moonlight-lit faces; their running turned to sprinting as each of us piled through the stone threshold and into the mountain. Without another seconds delay, Fili, Dwalin and Gloin pushed against the stone; their cries of frustration in the weight of it rung in our ears, as the stone moved slowly back into place.

With a last heave against the door, the door shut and seemed to click into position. Another roar filled our ears, before we heard something else. It was as though a cyclone was raging outside, filling the air with cracks and the shrill howl of wind.

Most of the company collapsed against the cold stone walls, catching their breaths as we realised just how close that had been. It wasn't over yet though. Moving towards the stone door, I felt for the edges in an attempt to find anyway to open it again. The stone was completely smooth though; there was no key hole, handle or lever. There was no way out, except going through Smaug.

My heart sunk in my chest as I became aware of this fact. There was no way we would be able to defeat the dragon. We were stuck here. I moved back over to the packs we were able to grab in time, rummaging through to see just how much food we had managed to pull inside.

If I had thought that it couldn't get worse, it most certainly did. I guessed that we had only managed to grab half of our provisions, and barely any of our equipment. If Bilbo had estimated that we were going to last almost three weeks before, I was sure now that we would be lucky to have enough to make it beyond one.

I dropped my head, the adrenalin now wearing thin. My thoughts begun to delve into darker places, however, to my relief I was interrupted by the strained voice of Thorin.

"Did you find it? Did you find the Arkenstone?" I looked up to see him looming over Bilbo, who was lying against a wall further away from the company. Bilbo looked up at Thorin, his expression indecipherable. He didn't speak.

"Master Baggins? Did you find my precious Arkenstone?" An emotion that I couldn't quite recognise flashed in his eyes for a moment, before he looked down at his hands.

"No, I did not Thorin. Smaug woke before Amelia or I could find it." I was about to speak, to say that we had seen it, when Bilbo's eyes met mine. I was taken aback by what I saw there.

In his eyes, I saw pleading. It diminished as he looked back up to Thorin, but there was no mistaking it. My focus switched to Thorin, and I understood why.

He looked like a desperate man. His face was riddled with the sorrow of a hundred years, his eyes screaming desire. Suddenly his behaviour for the past month made complete sense. The longing for the Arkenstone, and his gold within the mountain was overwhelming him and making him neglect what actually mattered here. It made me wonder if the only reason he had come to take back Erebor, was to reclaim his gold.

Thorin's shoulders slumped with Bilbo's words. The Hobbit waited til Thorin had moved away until he shifted nervously, looking back at me with a guilty glint in his eyes.

The noises from outside dissipated, though out anxiety did not. It didn't need to be spoken to know that we were royally screwed. I glanced around at the company. Even though I could sense some relief amongst them at being back within the halls of their fathers, their faces echoed the hopelessness that I felt.

We were without a plan, without most of our food and equipment and trapped inside a mountain in which the only way out was through a dragon. Ori, Fili and Kili looked deflated; Nori, Bofur, Bifur, Balin and Dori looked as though they had lost someone close to them.

We sat for a long time without anyone uttering a word. It was just too hard; I didn't know what to say and I didn't know how to reassure any one of them or ease the tension in the air. Even Josh and Bofur, who were typically the sources of optimism in our difficult circumstances, had nothing to say.

Before anyone did say anything though, we heard sounds echoing down the passage way towards us.

Jumping to our feet, we could hear crashing and deep growls in between the booming tones of Smaug's voice. Hesitantly, we moved down the corridor in order to hear what the dragon was saying. It didn't take long before I wished we hadn't.

"Filthy, Dwarvish usurper! Thorin Oakenshield will never have his precious gold, not as long as I live!" _Crash, clang._

He had figured out what we were up to. He knew what we were really trying to do. We were more than royally screwed now; we were absolutely and utterly _fucked._

"That scent, that strange smell," the dragon boomed, his voice vibrating the walls surrounding us. I held my breath, my fear strangling me. To what extent did he know about Josh and I? He had said we smelt familiar but otherworldly.. He knew that we weren't from Middle Earth, though I had no idea how he could have come to that conclusion.

"Yes, yes.." The voice quietened slightly, before he roared again. There was something about the sound that felt triumphant to my ears. Dread filled my heart and sent my mind into overdrive.

"Humans! The filthy peasants have come to help the Dwarvish scum in taking back the Mountain. The dirty men of Lake Town, with their long bows and witless Master; they shall burn for their impudence!" The screeching of his final words caused each of us to cling to the stone of the mountain in terror. There was a cacophony of sounds that echoed through to us, until the noises dissipated.

There was silence then, which was almost as deafening as the roars and screams of Smaug.

I couldn't breathe. My lungs felt as though they were going to explode, and my legs gave way underneath me. It was oddly reminiscent of when I had broken down at Beorn's house.

This was different though.

Smaug had realised that there was a human with this company, and he had put two and two together in thinking that it must have been someone from Lake Town here. He thought that the humans down there were the ones to blame; the ones that were helping take back Erebor. It was hardly the truth, but he didn't care.

He had smelt that there was a human in the mountain. He had smelt Josh and me; if we weren't here, he wouldn't have made the assumption that Lake Town was involved.

If we hadn't been here, Smaug wouldn't have gone to kill the innocent people of Esgaroth. He was about to burn the people that had helped us, because of me.

Why did I have to be so insistent in continuing the rest of the way? Why did I have to change Thorin's mind on the issue? It was my fault. This was my entire fault. Ildur, Cersa and Tani were down there. Sigrid and her father, her brother and sister were down there.

They were defenceless, and they were going to die because of me.

This wasn't some Goblin that I had killed. This was a town full of innocent people, women and children, many of whom I had spoken to and grown fond of. I wasn't only a murderer.

I was a monster.

It was Bilbo's forlorn words that rung in my ears, which mirrored the exact turmoil I was currently suffocating in.

"What have we done?"

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><p><strong>Thanks a tonne for the support and motivation from my followers and reviewers (Marina Oakenshield, FleurSuoh and ohjaayox- you guys are wonderful!) <strong>

**I'm just so excited for the rest of this story that I can't stop writing- I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am creating it :)**

**Enjoy the rest of the week!**


	24. Sandals and Sundresses

I ran back through the tunnel, towards the hidden door. I knew that it was closed, but I couldn't stop running. I couldn't stop crying either, and I couldn't breathe.

Reaching the door, I clawed to find some lever that I knew wasn't there. I just needed to get out. I needed air.

Slamming my fists against the stone, I cried out in anger and sorrow. My sobs echoed off of the walls around me as I collapsed to my knees.

I was such a fool. I had led Smaug straight to the doorstep of the innocent people of Lake Town. They didn't know what was coming for them. They didn't know that it had been my fault that drew the dragon to them, but I knew.

With every inch of my being, I knew. But there was an even greater measure of myself that wished I didn't. I wished that I could turn off this knowledge and the feelings that came with it, as though it was just a light switch.

I wasn't that lucky.

My whole body hurt with the agony of what I had caused. I didn't know how long I knelt there, head hung low in guilt and shame. The bubble of self-hatred in which I had encased myself in, popped momentarily as I felt an arm slung across my shoulders and a body kneeling next to me.

"Amelia," Josh started to say, but I stopped him. His words couldn't fix this, and couldn't change my stupidity.

"No, Josh. Don't try and reassure me that everything is going to be alright because it's not. Smaug is down there killing our friends because of me. If I hadn't been so stubborn in forcing Thorin to let us continue, the damned dragon wouldn't have figured out that we were human. He wouldn't have instantly blamed on Lake Town, even though they did nothing."

"It's not your fault Amelia! He would have figured it out anyway, I'm sure.." Josh's resolve deteriorated with each word he spoke. He didn't even believe it himself.

"There's no point in trying to make me feel better! Don't you get it? I'm a murderer. Ildur and Cersa and Sigrid were all down there, and now-" I couldn't get the words out. I couldn't say it. I stood up abruptly, almost knocking him over.

I couldn't look at his face. I didn't want to see the blame in his eyes, nor the agony in his face. The ocean of emotion was not just lapping at my heart; I was drowning in the tidal waves. Clenching my fists, I paced up and down the corridor. My eyes stung with fresh tears.

My mistake was in glancing up for an instant and seeing Josh just stood there, looking at me with such a lost expression on his face. I couldn't keep it together. I snapped.

I turned suddenly and slammed my closed fist into the smooth surface of mountain. Pain shot through my knuckles and straight to my elbow, but I didn't care. I tried to punch it again, crying out in the agony of my actions as I did so, but quickly hands grabbed my waist from behind me.

"Josh, get off of me!" I fought against him desperately, thrashing my arms and flinging my legs out as he picked me up, his arms attempting to constrict my whole body.

"Fili!" He called in a strangled voice, his hands loosing grip on me as I continued to fight. I heard sounds of running and grunts of Josh as I kicked against the wall in front of me, pushing both of us back into the opposite wall.

"Amelia, calm down!" He cried, but I couldn't stop myself. Even then I couldn't see logic. I couldn't see that I was hurting my brother and hurting my family.

What did it matter anymore? I was a murderer of innocent women and children. I had been scared to turn into a monster, yet now I was worse than any I had ever encountered. I was worse than our father.

My eyes were closed, yet I felt the strong grip of another pair of hands on me. It wasn't comforting in the slightest, and I frantically tried to get out of their grip, my lungs burning as I attempted to breathe in the thick air. My throat was dry with the shouts and sobs that escaped from my mouth.

"Get off of me! I'm nothing but a killer, just don't touch me!" I screamed at them, but my body was failing. I couldn't breathe and my limbs were becoming weak from the lack of oxygen mixed with the absence of adrenalin which had begun to leave my body.

"Please.. Please.." I sobbed out brokenly. Josh slowly put my feet back on the ground and released his grip only slightly. A hand moved from my arms to my face and cupped my cheeks. A warm finger wiped the tears from my eyes though I still kept them un-open, too afraid to look into their eyes.

If I couldn't accept what I had become, no one else would. The pain that I felt for the people on the lake was at the forefront of my thoughts, but there was something in the back of my mind that I feared almost as much.

The company wouldn't think of me as family after this. I had done something so stupid that had terrible consequences. There was no doubt in my mind that they would leave. I was going to be alone, truly alone. I wouldn't even have Josh this time. The girl that he had feelings for was down in that town. If it was Fili down there and this was Josh's fault, I don't know if I could forgive him.

It broke my heart to realise this, and I begun to sob dejectedly once more.

I don't know how or when it happened, but I was suddenly sat on the ground, the cool mountain wall at my back. Josh and Fili were there, and I didn't know why. My mind was in total and utter collapse. I couldn't think; I couldn't do anything but stare blankly at the wall.

Someone came and stood in front of me, before bending down and offering me something. I stared at him, emotionless and inattentive.

"Miss Amelia, eat this. It will make you feel better." Oin had something in his hand, a piece of bread of some sort. I didn't want to eat it. Why would I be hungry right now?

"_Delva_.." Fili whispered in my ear, his voice deep and husky. I looked at him, seeing the pleading look in his eyes. I didn't understand, but I didn't have the patience nor the energy to argue.

Grasping the piece of bread from Oin, I took a small bite. There was an odd smell that I couldn't quite place, but it tasted delicious despite the state I was in. I had only eaten a few bites before I felt rather sleepy.

I couldn't recall where exactly I was, or why it felt like there was a great weight on my chest, but I didn't mind. I didn't feel as though I wanted to remember, and soon I begun to doze off.

"I'm just going.. To have a nap.. Okay?" I spoke between yawns as I rested my head on Fili's shoulder. I could feel his body tense under my cheek, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. I was already unconscious.

* * *

><p><em>I awoke to a soft singing in my ear. Was that Fili? I frowned and tried to wake myself up enough to figure out where I was.<em>

_The voice was not deep enough to be Fili's. Where was I? Who was singing? _

_I finally opened my eyes to the bright sunlight. I blinked furiously in an attempt to adjust my eye sight to the light. How had I gotten outside? I sat upright quickly, catching a glance at what I was wearing and where I was sitting._

_I was dressed in a yellow sun dress that ended at my knees. My deep chocolate hair cascaded down my chest, and on my feet were sandals that I could swear I hadn't been wearing. On closer inspection, I recognised them, as I recognised the rug I was sitting on._

_This was our old picnic rug. These were my old shoes, and my old dress. I hadn't worn these since I was eight, but they fit perfectly. I frowned again, looking down at my chest. I definitely wasn't still eight years old. I was my normal self, but where was I?_

_A squeal from a distance away caused me to jump, scrambling away from the noise. It was when I looked up that I met a pair of familiar, bright green eyes._

"_Mum?" I choked out, my throat dry with the shock. This couldn't be happening. This was a dream._

"_Amelia, my little sweet pea," she whispered gently, her lips curved in the most joyous smile I had seen since.. Well, since I was eight years old._

_That was when I started to cry. Tears ran down my cheeks, and I didn't know what to do. If this was a dream I didn't want to wake up. She smiled at me knowingly, before moving her hand to my tear stained cheek._

_I gasped as her warm hand gently wiped at the skin there. I could feel her. She felt warm and soft and _real_. I was terrified that this was a nightmare, that the Goblin King or some other horrible creature would come and spoil it, so I didn't waste any time._

_I leaned over and circled my arms around her waist, my head resting against her chest as I began to sob. She held me back tightly, her hands rubbing light circles on my shoulders and running fingers through my hair as she whispered words of reassurance into my ear._

_It was a long time before I let go, so as to really look at her once more. She was wearing a sky blue dress, and I gulped in recognition. It was the dress she was wearing the day of her accident. I was about to start sobbing again, when she stopped me with her words._

"_Don't be afraid, sweet pea. I know this is hard." I looked at her heart shaped face, the chocolate waves flowing around her cheeks and down past her shoulders. I realised then just how much I had grown to look like her, though she looked much wiser and stronger than I ever was or felt._

"_Where am I? This is a dream, right?" She smiled at me, taking my cold hand in her warm one._

"_I guess you could call it that. The herb that the Dwarf hid in your bread was a sedative, though it has other effects, one of them being hallucinations." I deflated with the news after some initial shock. Oin had drugged me? _

"_Why did he do that to me?" I murmured almost to myself, but mum answered._

"_Your friends were worried about you; they did not know what else to do." She smiled at me in vague amusement while I thought over her words. Remembering exactly how I reacted, I couldn't blame them for trying to calm me down. I was a mess. I looked back up at her, trying to find some way to tell if this was actually a hallucination._

"_So.. So it isn't really you? This is all in my head?" She laughed slightly, her eyes looking over me in wonder. _

"_It is in your head, my love, but it doesn't mean that it isn't real. Remember that there is much magic where you are, most of which bends the possibilities of the world where you grew up." I looked at her, gobsmacked. Nothing I had seen in Middle Earth could have prepared me for this._

"_And.. You know about the Dwarves?" I asked instead, unsure of how to digest the magic part of this. I didn't understand it and I never would, one of the main reasons being that it had brought Josh and I into this world for no apparent reason._

"_Yes, I do. They care for you and Josh as if you are their own. That is what I wished to have given you for your whole lives, but fate doesn't work that way sometimes." She looked sad then, and glanced over her shoulder._

_I followed her gaze, gasping with what I saw. There was a man there with shaggy brown hair, playing with two young children. The man I instantly recognised, though he looked much younger and happier than how I remembered him being. It was our father. _

_With him was a young boy, only five or six years old. His brown hair flopped down over his eyes as he ran around, trying to catch our father and the young girl. Josh._

_The girl was wearing a yellow sun dress and brown sandals, her chocolate hair swinging in the breeze as she ran from the young boy, her laughs and squeals filling the spring air. _

_It was me. I couldn't hide my shock at the sight. We looked like a normal family, and I guess we had been up until the accident. I looked back at my mother, and she smiled at me sadly, as though she read my thoughts._

_I opened my mouth to say something, but I didn't know what I could say. I felt such a longing to be back here, to truly be back as a family. _

_But this family was broken, and now the one back in Middle Earth was too. My stupidity had cost more than my pride this time. It had killed people, and it would lose me my family in that world. They would never want me after what I had done, even though I didn't know that I had been so foolish until too late._

_The way that Josh had looked at me as he had tried unsuccessfully to reassure my broken heart, made me hate myself all over again. He had trouble to try and make me feel as though it wasn't my fault; if Josh was unable to forgive me, then there was no way the rest of the company would._

"_They will forgive you." The sureness of her voice made me glance up from my cradled hands. I looked at her in despair, about to argue with her words but she interrupted me._

"_They will sweet pea. Not one of them can and will blame you for what happened."_

"_And what about Josh?" I muttered, my throat constricting as I felt the anxiety bubble and spread through my chest. Mum grabbed my hands again, moving even closer to me than before._

"_He could and would never hate you. Give him some time to understand that what you did, you did for him. He knows in his heart that he would have gone to the Mountain, even if it were you who had chosen not to."_

_I looked into her sparkling emerald eyes; it was there that I saw the truth of her words. She wasn't saying these things to make me feel better, and I knew it. _

"_But I still caused the deaths of hundreds of people? How will I deal with that?" She smiled then, despite my confession of being a murderer, as she tapped her nose lightly with her index finger._

"_Perhaps it is time for you to find out." I blanched at her words, unsure of what she meant._

"_Wait-what? What do you mean?" I asked of her, almost desperately. _

"_It's time for you to go back and face reality once more, my little sweet pea." I shook my head furiously, tears pricking at my eyes._

"_I can't, I don't know what to do! You can't leave me again!" I raised my voice then, looking at her in anguish. She gave me a sad smile as she leant in to me._

"_I never left you, Amelia. I've always been there, even when I could not protect you from the man that I once loved. Give all of my love to Josh. I love you so much." I tried to argue, but she kissed my forehead lightly and all I could see was a bright yellow blinding my vision._

* * *

><p>I jumped awake, my eyes searching wherever it was that I had been lying. I had obviously scrambled up too fast, because I had to sit back down quickly, my head throbbing and hand aching. My vision blurred for a few minutes before I was able to stand back up and discern what was going on.<p>

I was no longer in the dark passage way, but in what looked like a large balcony. To my left were massive stone pillars, and beyond that the floor outstretched to the open sky. To my right was a stone wall that reached to the height of my waist, and beyond it were the vast halls of Erebor. It was large and spacious, though I could see many stone walkways and stairs leading to places that my eyes could not perceive.

It was even more extravagant than I could have imagined. Dwalin was right; nothing measured up to how incredible it was. Quickly, my mind moved into gear. Beyond the stone pillars was bright blue sky; I had been asleep for god knows how long.

I looked to my hand, remembering the pain that had stung there just moments earlier. A linen bandage was wrapped almost tightly around most of my hand and my wrist, binding it so that it wouldn't move. I cursed my stupidity for what seemed like the thousandth time; though it didn't feel like I had broken anything, my wrist ached painfully and my knuckles were bruised in shades of brown and purple.

The memory of how I hurt myself came back into my mind, but it was quickly overwhelmed by what I could remember from while I was asleep.

Thinking about my dream brought tears to my eyes. What had really happened? There must have been some serious strength to the plant that Oin had given me to calm me down, because I couldn't have imagined that even if I tried.

I wished more than anything that it had been real, that I had spoken to our mum. Surely it was just a side effect, some way that the plant had caused her to be a part of my hallucination.

But she had talked about the magic of Middle Earth doing things that we couldn't imagine as being possible. There had already been so many things that we had encountered that seemed insane, so why was this too much of a far stretch?

I missed her more than I ever had at that moment. Why couldn't she still be alive? Why did she get taken away from Josh and I so early? I wish that she was there with me, because I had never felt so alone or confused in my life.

It was then I realised that I was, indeed, completely alone.

Where were the company? Why was I left alone? I had begun to panic, moving over to the balcony to see the world beyond, when a yell called out from the hall across where I stood. I jumped away from the noise, scared as to what was going on, when I saw Kili running towards me.

I relaxed for only a moment, before I was instantly on guard again. What was he going to say to me? Where were Fili, Josh, and the rest of the company? My anxiety grew as he drew closer, but as soon as I saw his face, everything melted away.

He finally reached where I stood and enveloped me in such a great hug that nearly suffocated me. I could feel his chest rumbling underneath my body as he let out a great laugh, before letting me go.

His face expressed relief and joy, though I was unsure why. Why wasn't he angry at me?

He held me around the waist, looking me over before he laughed again.

"You're okay, Amelia! We have been so worried about you, though I am surprised you are awake so early. Those herbs Oin gave to you can knock out a full-aged Dwarven warrior for a week!"

"How long have I been asleep? Where is everyone? Is Josh okay? Why are we out here, Smaug could come back at any second!" In realisation of exactly where we were, I grabbed Kili's arm in an attempt to make a run to somewhere less open. The young Dwarf just laughed off my reaction, putting both of his hands on my shoulders.

"Lass, calm down. The beast has been defeated!"

What?

I couldn't even speak because I was so confused. How, what, where and when?

"Come and sit, Amelia. There is a lot to speak of." We walked over to the blankets I had woken up in and sat down. I looked at him anxiously and expectedly, waiting for him to speak. After getting settled in comfortably he finally began to talk.

"You have been asleep for the rise of two suns. It is now just before midday; the company are busy with various tasks, and we thought that you were going to wake in several more days, that's why.. That's why we left you here," He looked rather embarrassed about the admission, but I waved it off, signalling to get him to continue.

"It was killed during the night in which it left. We had hidden in the passage for many, many hours with no sound of Smaug returning. That was when we sent Bilbo to go and search for the beast. The Hobbit came here and saw smoke coming from Lake Town, though no sign of Smaug."

"We decided to leave the passages and come here, unsure of what else to do. While we were here, in the early hours of the morning, a message came. It was Roäc, a raven who used to live within the mountain before Smaug, who told us of the news.

"It told us that Smaug had been felled by Bard, the Bowman of Lake Town. He had in his possession a Black Arrow, which pierced the armour of the beast which had been severed previously by his ancestor, Girion."

"Smaug fell into the Lake, taking most of Esgaroth with him." I froze at his words, my hope that someone could have gotten out, shattered. He saw my body tense and my eyes begin to water, because he grabbed me lightly by the shoulders as he continued.

"There were very few casualties, Miss Amelia. Bard had realised that Smaug was awake the moment he saw fire from the mountainside and heard the shrieks in the air. He evacuated all of the townspeople into the forest where they hid, while the archers and bowmen took point from Lake Town in the attack on Smaug."

"Some of those men fell, but many did not. All of the children and women are alive, and most of the menfolk. Amelia, you needn't worry." I looked at him, his brown eyes sparkling.

"Really? So.. They are okay?" He nodded deeply, his smile radiating so much joy that it seemed barely contained.

I felt a pressure that had been building up inside of me release so suddenly that my breathing seemed to finally return back to normal. I closed my eyes and filled my lungs with the cool air.

"You're not angry at me? The company, Josh.. They don't hate me for causing that to happen?" Kili just laughed, taking my hand and squeezing it lightly.

"Of course we don't, lass. Smaug would have figured it out even if you had not been here, or he would have gone there for some kind of revenge if he were not able to reach us. Having you and Josh here was probably the only reason that saved the company and that Smaug is now dead."

I looked at him curiously, unable to make the connection as to why we would have saved the company.

"Why's that?" I murmured, watching his eyes and expression as he spoke.

"If Smaug hadn't realised as soon as he did, and had not been preoccupied by your scent, then he probably could have roasted us there and then. Or he would have just waited until we grew so insane with thirst and hunger that we eventually strayed out of the tunnels."

"Bard of Lake Town was the most equipped to kill the beast, anyhow. He has had many years of training and possessed the only Black Arrow left in existence." I nodded, thinking over everything he was saying. I still wanted to know for sure that they didn't hate me though, especially Josh and Fili.

I felt terrible as I recalled the way I had spoken to them both and lashed out. They were the two people that I was closest to, and I had hurt them physically and more than likely emotionally. Even if I managed to absolve myself for everything else, I don't think I could forgive myself for the way I treated them in that passage way.

"Are Fili and Josh okay? You know, after I…" I trailed off, not knowing how to describe my reaction. I was an absolute, humiliating mess.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" He questioned. I looked up to see his eyes focused on something over my shoulder. Kili had a grin on his face, and I heard a familiar voice call out from behind me.

"Amelia!" My heart pounded in my chest as I recognised the anxious voice of Fili; I turned around as soon as I heard him and could see that he was now running swiftly over to me.

I couldn't stop myself from jumping off of the ground and running over to him with all the energy I could muster. Without stopping, our bodies just about collided into one another as we met across the balcony.

His arms wrapped around my waist and behind my back, picking me up with ease as my heart pounded in my chest and my body shook with excitement. His head was resting in the crook of my neck as he spun me in circles. I couldn't help but laugh joyously at him, his strong and muscular arms not letting me go even when he put me back on the ground.

He looked into my eyes and my heart stopped beating in what I saw there. He looked completely and utterly relieved, so much so that I could see tears shining in his eyes. I put my hands on his cheeks, feeling the prickly beard that lay beneath my fingertips.

There was no anger, hate or hurt in his eyes. He just looked absolutely exultant as he beamed at me, his lips curving up behind his braided moustache.

I didn't give a damn about anything else right then. I felt so utterly overwhelmed to be back in his arms, and without any further hesitation, I put my mouth to his insistently.

There was a moment's reluctance, though it took him but a second to reciprocate the affection with just as much urgency.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as my fingers entangled in his hair. His own hands snaked around the low of my back, gripping me tightly to him as though he never wanted me to move from his embrace again.

I parted his lips with my tongue and in realising what I was doing, he allowed me in, the kiss then becoming a fiery explosion of nerves which set alight my entire body.

I couldn't get close enough to him.

"Ahem," A forced cough came from beside us. I didn't want to leave Fili's lips, but I didn't feel as though there was any way around it. I moved away from Fili's mouth, only enough for me to open my eyes and glance sideways at who I knew was going to be standing there.

Sure enough, Kili was by our side, a smug look on his young face. It was all I could do to turn slightly and glare at him, my breathing coming out almost raggedly. I glanced at Fili, who still had his eyes closed. When he opened them though, he looked straight to Kili with his shoulders tensed.

He spoke to his younger brother quickly in his language, so fast that I couldn't even decipher exactly what he had said. Kili smirked at Fili, then laid a hand on my shoulder and spoke to me.

"I'm glad you are okay now, Amelia." He smirked at both of us before leaving down a staircase that Fili must have come up through. Once he had left, Fili sighed, his shoulders dropping as he looked at me once more.

"Sorry about Kili.. His lack of maturity at times astounds me." Fili rubbed at his temples as though he was attempting to rid himself of the stress. I smiled almost timidly and stepped back, suddenly aware that I had- once again- ignored his traditions. I was only glad that it had been Kili with us, instead of one of the older Dwarves.

"I guess we aren't any better, I suppose," I half laughed. He looked at me with a small smirk and twinkling eyes, knowing full well what I meant. Quickly his smile faded though as he looked over me intently.

"Are you.. How do you feel Amelia? We were so worried about you after.. When Smaug left.." I wasn't sure whether it was concern or hurt that I could hear in his voice, and instantly my guilt returned and redoubled. I was so embarrassed with how I reacted and how they had been the ones to deal with the full brunt of it.

"Fili, I am so sorry about before. I shouldn't have reacted that way, but.. But I-I thought that I had killed them all, I thought that.. It was my fault that Smaug went to Lake Town.. All I could think of were Ildur and Cersa, and the rest of the people down there."

I was looking down at my feet while I spoke, though when Fili replied I lifted my gaze to meet his.

"It was not your fault, Amelia. Smaug would have gone down there whether you had been part of the company or not; if not for you, we may have all been killed. You and Joshua kept the dragon occupied so that getting to us was not its first priority."

"I'm glad you see it like that, but it's still my fault that there are people down there that got hurt. I'm not going to forgive myself for that so easily. But you aren't angry at me? The company doesn't hate me at all?" Fili raised his hand and put it gently on my cheek, moving his lips to meet my forehead.

I closed my eyes and sighed at the contact, the warmth of his hand and lips sending shivers down my spine.

"I could not be angry at you, _Delva_. You did not intend to put anyone's life at risk, nor was there any fault of your own in which events occurred. The company do not hate you either; they know as I do, that our lives may have been forfeited if not for your presence, whether deliberate or not."

A part of me was overwhelmed with relief that they didn't hate me. I was sure now that they wouldn't push me to the side because of my actions, and it made me feel mostly better. I was still mortified though, that there were people down there that were no longer alive, whether it was my fault or not.

Instead of dwelling on it at that moment, I pushed it into the darkest corner of my mind, where I was sure to revisit it eventually. Right now, I wanted to know what was happening. I guessed that Thorin had reclaimed Erebor because Smaug was dead, which meant the quest was over.

The quest was over.

I suddenly felt emptiness in the pit of my stomach; there was no purpose for Josh and I anymore. While I knew that we wouldn't be kicked to the curb because we were a part of their family now, there was just something that didn't sit right with me.

We had been under the belief that we had been sent here for some great purpose, though I didn't feel like I made a particular difference at all. Now what were we to do? Would we work, and if so, what would we do?

Maybe the only reason we had ended up here was to get Josh away from our father. Maybe there was no reason at all. Maybe it was just dumb luck.

"Amelia?" Fili said worriedly, his hand moving to my shoulder. I snapped out of my inner turmoil quickly, attempting to forget where my train of thought was heading.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. What is happening now? Where is everyone?" Fili's expression seemed to turn stony as he looked over to the balcony, where the cool air was coming from.

"We have been boarding up the Front Gate," He said simply, however the tone in his voice sounded as though he was more than annoyed.

"Why? What's wrong?" I couldn't help to feel anxious when I asked, as though I didn't really want to know the answer.

"The Men of Esgaroth are at our gates, coupled with the Elves of Mirkwood. They are demanding reparations for the cost of defeating Smaug." The way he spoke indicated that he didn't feel as though they deserved it, and that made me angry. Their town just burned to the ground (or lake) because of us.

"And you're not going to help them? Why not!" I gave him a hard glare, one that he returned back.

"The problem does not lie with the Men, Amelia. It is with the Elves in which Thorin has the problem. They come demanding payment for our 'trespassing' through their land, which is madness. They captured and imprisoned us, attempting to starve our secrets out of us!"

"I don't give a damn about the Elves. Just give the people from Esgaroth our help! Their homes just burnt down because of us, because of me.." The anger was brimming over the edge; I felt completely outraged that we weren't going to help them. We stared at each other for a long time, before Fili relented, a long-drawn sigh escaping his lips.

"Thorin will not help them, because they are in league with the Elves. Balin and Bilbo have attempted to change his mind, but it is in vain. He will not listen, but has instead sent message to Dain from the Iron Hills to come from the North and help rid Erebor of the Elves and Men." He put his fingers again to his temple, rubbing it as his brows drew into a deep frown.

"Thorin does nothing but spend the days and nights amongst the hordes of gold in an attempt to find the Arkenstone."

My anger dissipated as quickly as it begun. Fili's eyes showed the pain that he felt there, undoubtedly that which was caused by Thorin. I really wished that I had spoken to someone about the way he was acting much sooner.

"He.. He hasn't spoken to you much has he?" Fili glanced up at me, then turned his pained gaze back towards the balcony.

"Besides the morning in which Bard and a group of Elves came to the Front Gate, no. He does not listen to Kili or I. I.. I don't know what to do."

And like that, my anger was back. It was as though my childhood was reliving itself in the form of someone else's life. Thorin was turning to his greed of money, just as our father had turned to his love of alcohol and drugs, in effect neglecting the two that saw him as a father. The storm that was brewing inside me was barely contained as I spoke once more.

"Where is he?" My fists were clenched as I felt myself shake with the emotional hurricane I felt within me. Fili seemed to have noticed, as he turned back to me and frowned.

"Thorin? He is in the Halls of our Fathers, where he has been for two days; why?"

"Can you take me to him? I need to talk to him for a second." I got myself under control just enough to sound calm, though Fili still gave me a curious look. Without commenting though, he led me down the staircase and to the Halls in which the gold lay.

Despite the short stature of the Dwarves, their city beneath the mountain was extravagant and enormous, reaching almost hundreds of metres above us in the bigger halls. Even the smaller passageways were still quite large, their smooth surfaces often engraved with quadrilateral patterns and runes.

The walls were also lined lanterns and torches that glowed orange in the darkness, leading the way through the tunnels. It made me feel less nervous about walking through the dark, though it did nothing to calm the anger I felt.

We walked for a long time, through many passages and halls of various sizes. I wondered just how far they had carried me while I was unconscious; I felt almost embarrassed about them having to lug me around in this maze of a city.

Finally we came to the hall in which I knew we would find Thorin. It was the hall where Bilbo and I had been searching for the Arkenstone, where we woke Smaug. The sight was no less extraordinary, though probably more dishevelled. The mountains of gold did not stand as tall as they had before, but instead they seemed to be mostly flattened and spread hazardously through where pathways had been.

I looked to the walls and the ceiling that towered way above my head; there were black marks scorched across the parts of the wall that hadn't been turned to rubble.

I never thought I would witness the aftermath of a dragon's temper tantrum.

The sound of clinking metal followed by a series of angry shouts pulled my attention over to a particularly large mound of gold. I turned to Fili, wanting him to leave before I said anything to Thorin.

"Can I talk to him alone, Fili?" He gave me a confused look, obviously not understanding why I would need to speak to his uncle. I didn't want to elaborate on the reason, however.

"It's just something that I need to ask him privately, it's not a big deal. It's just between Thorin and I." I mustered all my willpower to give a convincing, nonchalant smile, when I felt anything but. Somehow I managed to pull it off, because Fili didn't say anything else. He simply nodded, and with a small smile and a kiss to my forehead, he turned around and left through the passage in which we came.

Gazing at the entrance, I waited a few minutes before I moved to where I could still hear Thorin's movements and yells of frustration. I knew exactly what he was doing, and I had a feeling in my gut as to why he couldn't find what he was looking for.

I took in a deep breath in an attempt to reign in my fury, though it was failing miserably. Old wounds were opening up through Thorin's behaviour towards Fili and Kili, and it was hurting me more than I wanted to admit.

How could you just push your loved ones aside like that? How could you neglect the ones that depended on you, who looked up to you? I couldn't comprehend it at all, and it made me think of all the years of childhood in which Josh and I were completely and utterly ignored. I wasn't able to stand up to our father then, but maybe I could do something now. Maybe I could help Fili and Kili, so that they wouldn't have to go through the same pain and heartache that we did.

Rounding a pile of gold, the Dwarf came into view. He was knelt amongst the treasure, desperately digging through the gold and gems that lay before him. I couldn't see his face, but his whole body radiated such desperation that it stopped me in my tracks.

Fear washed over me, and I became strangely reluctant to say anything. He looked broken, as if the pain of not being able to find the Arkenstone was physical instead of emotional. I stood there for a long time before I found the courage to voice the anger I felt towards him.

"Thorin," I said, my voice even despite the conflicting emotions that I was feeling. He didn't even acknowledge my words and that was what hardened my resolve. I stormed towards him, standing at his side as I spoke again, even louder this time.

"Thorin." I saw his shoulders tense, yet there was still know formal acknowledgement.

I could almost see red.

"Oi, Thorin!" I grabbed him by the shoulder with some force, making him turn around to face me. The anger and despair I saw in his eyes made me hesitate for only a second, before I remembered exactly why I had come down here to speak to him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I stared at him as his eyes glanced quickly back to the gold, lingering there before I shoved his shoulder with my hand, snapping him out of it.

"Are you listening to me?" My voice was almost a shout now, the rage barely controlled as my voice shook. He looked back to me and stood, his face becoming guarded and revealing nothing more.

"I am looking for my Grandfather's Arkenstone, and I do not appreciate you interrupting me. I would not be here if the Hobbit and yourself fulfilled your role in coming to Erebor." His words were rough and full of criticism. I narrowed my eyes at him as he spoke, unbelieving that he was blaming Bilbo and I for not getting his stone. We were almost incinerated in the damn process!

"That's not what I mean," I said through gritted teeth. "You're supposed to be a leader, but you are down in this fucking hole in a desperate attempt to find the damn stone. Why aren't you up there with your nephews? Why aren't you up there helping the people who lost their home because of you getting yours back?"

"The Men of Esgaroth are in alliance with the Elves," he spat, looking at me with such disgust. "They will be getting none of the fortune of my forefathers." I felt sick with my anger and his words. He wasn't going to help them because of the Elves? Sure, they had imprisoned us, and I was pissed about that as well. But that didn't mean we couldn't help Bard and the rest of the townspeople.

"So you're going to let them go homeless and starving? You're going to sit in here on your piles of gold while they freeze? What about the children out there?" The expression on his face made me realise that that was exactly what he was going to do. I pushed him hard by the chest with my uninjured right hand, my anger overcoming my senses. He stumbled a few feet backwards, his eyes now filled with the rage that I felt in my heart.

"What about Fili and Kili? You're abandoning them when they need their Uncle the most. I thought that they were the most important thing to you? I'm not going to stand by and watch as you refuse to acknowledge how much they need you right now." My voice broke as I yelled the words at him, tears brimming over my eyes. The anger I saw in his eyes extinguished for a moment as it was replaced with guilt and shame.

It only lasted a second before the hate returned.

"They do not need me, you fool of a human! They are old enough to hold their own without the need to hold my hand as if they were children. I am not their father, and I never will be!" His words hit me like a slap to the face, and hurt me much more than one ever would.

It was as though I was speaking to not only to Thorin, but my own father. Is this what he had thought of Josh and I? Did our dad not believe that he was our father, in a way? Did he hate us that much? Tears blinded my vision as I yelled at Thorin, hitting both of my clenched fists into his chest with as much force I could muster. I ignored the jolting pain that shot straight up through my arm, too overcome with anger to think about it.

"You will not do this to them! You can't kick them to the curb; you can't do to them what our father did to us!" Thorin stumbled back once more, but I could see his own jaw and fists clenched. He looked as though he was fighting to control himself I realised, and I instantly took a step backwards, my face wet with tears.

"If you do not leave this hall immediately, you will leave Erebor permanently." His words now quavered with the fury that was brimming over the edge. I felt as though he had thrown a brick at my stomach. He couldn't do that to me, could he?

I shook my head at him in disbelief. I found my voice again after the initial shock at his words.

"If you keep going on this way then you're going to lose the only good things you have in your damn life." I sounded cold and harsh, even to my own ears. I didn't wait to see his reaction or hear anything he had to say; turning on my heel, I ran back through the way I had come.

I wanted to run through the corridors until I couldn't run anymore, but I knew that I would get lost in the maze of corridors and halls. Instead, I stopped at the entrance of the passage, leaning heavily against the wall to calm myself down.

The absolute bastard. How could he be so completely and utterly ignorant? How could he do that to Fili and Kili? They looked up to him like he was their father, and he was pushing them aside. His love of something superficial was clouding his judgement and getting in the way of his responsibility to look after his nephews, and to lead the company.

The sound of clinking metal begun again, and I needed to get out of there. I wiped the tears from my eyes and attempted to blank everything from my mind so that I could find my way through the corridors.

It took hours to get back through the passage way to somewhere that I recognised, even though I followed the orange lights the whole way back. Fili hadn't even set foot in here before, yet he knew exactly where it was he was going. I was literally guided by lights back to the balcony, though I quite often doubted myself in where I was going, and would become confused when finding the right passage out of the larger halls. The area was literally a maze; how did they not lose themselves in here?

Soon I found myself in the large hall near the balcony, where I could hear voices coming from above me. The hall was completely dark, besides the few orange lights near the staircase and an orange glow from the balcony. It seemed as though night had fallen while I was in the tunnels, and as if on cue, my stomach rumbled quite loudly. I stopped in my steps, closing my eyes and just taking in the sound of the company that echoed down to meet my ears.

"All I can think of is sausages and egg! I would give my share of the gold if only to again taste the delicious food!" I could easily recognise Bombur by his voice, if not by his love of food. The statement made me smile lightly, the anxiety and anger from my encounter with Thorin seeping from my thoughts.

Letting their familiar voices soothe me, I begun to slowly walk up the staircase that lay before me.

"Oi, shut it will you! Your talk is making me hungrier." That was Nori, his slightly higher pitched voice giving away his annoyance.

"Perhaps we could bargain with the Menfolk of Esgaroth? Surely they would share their food for some of the gold?" There was a seconds silence before a loud '_oomph!_', followed by some laughter and some angry words.

"What food can they share with us, Bombur? Their town is in the bottom of the lake and we are besieged by said Men. They will not help us if we will not help them." It was Bilbo that spoke that time, his words resulting in an uncomfortable silence. I decided that now would be as good a time as any to go and face them; breathing in deeply and pushing any trace of trouble from my mind, I walked up the rest of the stairs to meet them.

As I stepped over the end of the staircase and onto the balcony, I saw the company lying and sitting around a small fire that they had lit on the far side of the large area. Silently I moved towards them to see most of the Dwarves smoking on pipes, gazing into the fire. I could see Josh sitting next to Kili and Bofur, with his back to me.

I almost stopped in my footsteps once more, in fear of what his reaction may be. I remembered what my mum had said to me in my dream or hallucination, whatever it was. She had said that Josh wouldn't be angry, not really.

Despite my confusion as to whether I had talked to my mother or not, I really hoped that she was right.

I bit the metaphorical bullet and closed the distance between Josh and I. Everyone seemed to be fixated on the fire, because no one actually realised I was there until I was standing right behind Josh and spoke to them.

"Don't worry Bombur, I could go for a pile of sausages and eggs right now. I'm starving." I saw each and every one of them jump, whether it was only slightly or almost from where they were sitting.

So much for being big, scary warriors.

"Amelia!" Most of them called out or sighed in relief, as soon as they realised it was just me and not someone unwelcome.

Well, I guess I was yet to see if I was unwelcome.

I looked down at Josh, who had jumped probably the highest out of the group. He had turned around by now, looking up at me with a sad and almost hesitant look on his face. I felt as though someone was sticking a hot iron into my chest when I saw how he looked at me; it was almost as though he was uncomfortable to have me there. I gulped against the pain and whispered to him.

"Hey, little brother." I gave a small smile, though I'm sure my expression was not reassuring in the slightest. There was a split second in which I thought he wasn't going to move, before he jumped up from the blankets which he was sitting on, and wrapped his arms around me tightly.

I buried my head in his chest, too scared to let him go in case he would tell me something that would kill me to hear. If he were to tell me that he hated me, or that he couldn't forgive me, then I wouldn't know what I would do. He was my brother, and the best friend I have had in my entire life. I would hate myself forever if I didn't have him in my life because of my actions.

He pulled away from me, and I dreaded the worst, but it didn't come.

"I was so scared about you. Don't you ever do that to me again, okay?" I looked up at his worried expression, and instantly my shoulders slumped. I was so thick. Of course he wasn't going to be angry. He was my brother, and I made him sick with concern for me more than anything. Instead of trying to make excuses for how I reacted, I just did what I thought at that moment would be the truth.

"I won't Josh, I'm so sorry to put you through that. I'm an idiot." He laughed slightly, pulling me back into another hug.

"We all know that much, Amelia." The quip earned many chuckles from the company, and I let Josh go to turn to them, eyeing Bofur and Kili in particular.

"Don't make me hurt you all, I've broken the nose of an Elf and I'm sure I could do the same to a Dwarf." I grinned at them, making sure that my remark was met with humour. I didn't need to worry though; of course it was.

"But Elves are so fragile compared to the burly strength of Dwarves, Miss Amelia!" It was Kili who responded, looking up at me with his chest flared out in a show of masculinity. I wasn't the only one to laugh at his attempt at proving his strength though; Nori and Gloin almost howled with laughter, deflating the young Dwarf's show.

I soon found my sleeping gear next to a blonde Dwarf who was looking up at me in particular, the amused look in his eyes barely contained as he chuckled to himself. Moving over to the other side of the fire, I sat on my blankets in between Fili and a very downcast Bilbo.

My eyes glanced back to the Hobbit throughout the night in an attempt to catch his attention, but he rarely looked up from his hands or from the fire. I had a fair idea of what was troubling him, though I didn't want to ask him directly in front of the company.

It was the same thing that was stressing me out. For that night though, most of my worries were forgotten about as I talked and joked with the company. I forgot about Thorin, I forgot about the Elves and Men that were at the Front Gate, and I ignored the gnawing feeling that grew in my chest.

I begun to nod off after eating some of the remaining provisions; it was mostly stale bread, but in my hunger I didn't care. Laying down exactly where I had sat, I wrapped myself in the warm blankets in protection against the crisp bite of the night air.

There was a low humming that I only heard vaguely at first, though it steadily grew with a strange intensity. It wasn't a surprise to me when the deep singing of the Dwarves begun. It was like that which I had heard before, but different. It was victorious, though the chill of trepidation rung through every note.

_Under the Mountain dark and tall,  
>The King has come unto his hall.<br>His foe is dead, the Worm of Dread,  
>And ever so his foes shall fall.<em>

_The sword is sharp, the spear is long,  
>The arrow is swift, the Gate is strong;<br>The heart is bold that looks on gold;  
>The Dwarves no more shall suffer wrong.<em>

_The Dwarves of yore made mighty spells,  
>While hammers fell like ringing bells.<br>In places deep, where dark things sleep,  
>In hollow halls beneath the fells.<em>

_On silver necklaces they strung  
>The light of stars, on crowns they hung.<br>The dragon-fire, from twisted wire,  
>The melody of harps they wrung.<em>

_The mountain throne once more is freed,  
>Oh wondering folk, the summons heed.<br>Come haste, come haste across the waste,  
>The king of friend and kin has need.<em>

_Now call we over mountains cold,  
>'Come back unto the caverns old!'<br>Here at the Gates the king awaits,  
>His hands are rich with gems and gold.<em>

_The King is come unto his hall,  
>Under the Mountain dark and tall.<br>The Worm of Dread is slain and dead,  
>And ever so our foes shall fall.<em>

There was silence for a long time, before there were heated arguments as to who was going to take the first watch. It was Bombur that drew the short straw due to his earlier comments of the food that we were all starving for. I fell asleep to the sound of Bombur's complaining, though I didn't mind.

Little did I know, that night would be the last I spent with peace of mind and in the safety of my friends.

I guess hindsight is twenty-twenty.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello everyone, I hope you are all well! Firstly, I apologise for this chapter being up a bit later than I was anticipating. I have been editing it all week, because I haven't been too sure about it. I'm pretty happy with it now, though I am still unsure about the ending (but I wanted to leave it hanging to lead onto what is coming next). Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway!<strong>

**The song in this is from the book (again, everything belongs to Tolkien), and I just had to add it in because it is so beautifully haunting. Silently hoping that PJ adds it into the final movie :)**

**So, thank you again for my lovely reviews (Shadowsammy,Marina Oakenshield and Filisfilly), you guys are the greatest, and I always look forward to hearing your thoughts about each chapter! Thanks to everyone who has favourited and followed this story as well. Please keep reviewing and following, I love hearing from you all. **

**I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week!**


	25. Self-Destructive Stubborness

The next morning I woke slowly to the chorus of snoring from close by and a soft breeze against my cheeks. I didn't open my eyes, not just yet. It was that moment between sleep and being fully aware that I held onto, those few minutes where you didn't feel as though you needed to be anywhere or do anything important.

Rolling slowly onto my side, I pulled my blankets closer to my chest in an attempt to keep the cool air from making me shiver. It was then that I realised there was more than just my blanket and cloak atop me. I moved my hand across the weight on my shoulders, recognising the familiar fur coat if not for the scent.

I opened my eyes to see Fili lying within a metres distance beside me. His mouth was gaping open, a light snore escaping his lips as I watched him. It wasn't until his shoulders moved upwards as he breathed in, that I saw them bare of the coat that I knew he had laid on me during the night.

He was still wrapped in his own blanket that had been given to him in Lake Town, though I couldn't help but smile at the gesture. Moving ever so slightly across the floor, I crept closer to him so that I was within a few inches. I wondered about where I would sleep after we helped the people from Lake Town. Would it be in my own room, or would I be able to stay with Fili?

I smiled to myself at the thought; if I could wake up to Fili like this each morning, in an actual bed, I would be pretty happy with myself. It made my stomach roll with nervousness and excitement, and I hoped for nothing more than that. I edged my hand towards his that lay on the stone floor below us, taking his fingers in mine.

Lifting my gaze to his face, I could see him smirking from behind his braided moustache and growing beard. He entwined my hand within his large one, gently squeezing as he did so. The motion was greatly reassuring despite the little contact there was between us.

Even though I began to become more conscious of the problems that I was going to have to consider that day, I felt the strength return to and fill my body. I could try and talk to Thorin again; maybe he would listen today. Even if he didn't though, maybe I could speak to Bard. I didn't know him, but I knew his daughter and I wanted the same thing that he did.

It wasn't fair that Thorin was leaving them out there to suffer, despite the anger he felt towards the Elves. The townspeople had helped us, and I wasn't going to stand around while he let them down. I wouldn't sit here while I knew that Ildur and Cersa were out there, along with all the other women and children. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I had to think of something.

"If you keep frowning so often, you are going to age twice as fast." I snapped my gaze back to the deep voice that murmured from beside me. Fili had an eyelid opened lazily as he watched me, his smirk obvious in his attempt to bait me.

"Hey, watch it you. Not all of us can look so good at _such_ an old age." I narrowed my eyes as I leered back at him, hoping he would catch onto what I was saying.

"Oi! I am not old at all. But I must agree with the good looking part," he winked at me as he spoke, and I just chuckled at him in amusement. His blue eyes twinkled and I suddenly felt nervous under his intense gaze. My reaction led me to do as I usually did when I was under some sort of pressure. I made a fool of myself.

I poked my tongue out at him, my lips curving into a smile. His bemused look and soft chuckles made me continue, and I begun to pull faces at him until he was attempting to muffle his laughter.

"You are such an odd human, Amelia." I grinned at him and rolled onto my back, letting go of his hand to stretch out my arms above my head.

"You love it," I said through a yawn, arching my back off of the ground as I stretched the muscles there. It felt incredible.

"Aye, I do." The tone of his voice changed as he spoke the words; I almost froze where I was, only moving to glance back over to him. He looked at me with such an intense expression, even more than before. I stared at him for a few moments, taking in exactly what he said as I opened my mouth to finally speak the words that had been sitting on my tongue for the past few weeks.

I don't know what it was, but obviously the universe wanted to crap on my attempts at telling Fili how I felt.

A loud horn sounded from the distance and instantly Fili's expression became unreadable and serious as he jumped upright, moving to his feet. I threw my blanket and his coat off of myself as I watched the entire company move from where they lay to their feet, hurrying to gather their weapons. I instantly noticed that there was no sign of Thorin.

"Ori, go through the halls and find Thorin. Tell him that the Men and Elves are back at the front gate, and we require his presence. Dwalin, Balin, Gloin and Bilbo, you will follow with me. The rest of you will stay behind the front gate." Fili's voice radiated everything that I had come to recognise from Thorin; I could hear the power and leadership that emanated from his tone and his whole demeanour. He sounded exactly like a King.

We didn't eat anything as the anxiety and tension grew in the air while we hurried to organise ourselves. I quickly gave Fili's coat back to him, and reluctantly sheathed my weapons at my side. Were they expecting to fight? What was going to happen?

I was too anxious to voice my fears as we moved down the stairs hurriedly. Glancing to my left as we reached the bottom and begun to walk towards an area to our right, I became even more worried. Bilbo was fidgeting with his pocket and looking down at his feet with a strange expression on his face. He looked almost.. Guilty? Noticing a glint of chainmail silver under his coat, I focused back on him and outstretched my arm, brushing his hand lightly with my own. He tensed greatly at the motion and glanced at me with wide eyes.

Without drawing any attention to ourselves, I mouthed the words _'are you okay?' _to him. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, though he didn't relax at all. I tried to catch his eye contact once more, but he fixed his gaze firmly on the ground that we walked briskly upon. I couldn't pick exactly what it was, but my mind was screaming at me. Something was wrong. There had been some moments where my instincts hadn't kicked in quick enough for me to realise what was happening, but most of the time it was dead on.

I felt as though this would be one of those times, and I didn't like it one bit.

Trepidation gnawed at my chest, there lying a darkness that was threatening to consume me from within. I focused on trying to breathe more steadily as we walked through the large hall, coming to what I assumed to be the Front Gate.

It was absolutely huge; I was again left wondering why they needed something that was just so much bigger than the stature of the Dwarves. It was like a massive set of doors fixed within the grey slate of the mountain, that which had been carved to a smooth surface. I imagined that the outside would just be a large entrance surrounded by the untouched rocky crop of the mountain side.

"What does the filthy Elvish King want now?" A voice rung out from the hall behind us, and I didn't have to look to know exactly who had spoken. His words dripped with loathing and hatred and I couldn't help but flinch away from his words, though still I glanced at him all the same.

He stormed across the floor, Ori following behind skittishly as though he was scared Thorin would turn around and shout at him. I was worried myself that would be the case. It was Fili that moved from the front of the company at the gate towards Thorin, looking just as powerful as his Uncle.

"The Elves and Men have blown the horn to meet with us, Uncle. Perhaps we can settle these terms today." Thorin just looked at Fili blankly, before brushing past him towards the Front Gate.

"We will see about that," was his response. Without any further words, he pushed open one of the towering doors of the Front Gate, leading Fili, Bilbo, Balin, Dwalin and Gloin with him. My fear multiplied at seeing my friends walk through the gate, their weapons within a second's reach and stony looks on each of their faces.

Bilbo was the only one who didn't express the same reaction as the Dwarves, as he still looked overwhelmingly nervous. One side of the Front Gate was left open, while we were left to watch from behind the safety of the mountain walls.

I couldn't stand it. I watched each footstep the six took away from us, to meet a small group of people that I could see not too far in the distance. It was when I scanned past the group that I finally saw the wasteland that was visible beyond them. There was smoke coming from a dark huddle of shapes that lay on the lake. I guessed that the only reason we were able to actually see the destruction was because of the slight height leverage we had from the mountain side.

Near the edge of the lake, I could make out smaller shapes dotting the shore. It was a fair distance away, but it looked to me that it was a makeshift camp. I had to swallow the bile that was rising in my throat; that would be the townspeople there, attempting to survive after their home had been destroyed. A twinge of guilt stung within me before I bit it back and continued to look at what was before me.

Closer to us, near to where the two groups of Dwarves, Elves and Men were about to meet across the desolate land, was what certainly looked like camps. I guessed that it was the Elves that had set up base, though it seemed to me that they were not alone there. It looked like there were humans there, and I guessed that it was the Men of the town.

_Are they readying themselves for a fight?_

I felt utterly sick. Why would Thorin let this happen? Why couldn't he just give them some of the damn gold so then everybody could get back to restoring their homes? His feud with the Elves was beginning to drill at my mind; he had to realise that what he was doing was complete and utter madness.

I became incredibly aware as to how fast the Elves and Men had gotten to the base of Erebor. It had taken us several weeks to get here, though I considered that we had taken a much more indirect route in a bid to avoid waking Smaug. _Fat lot of good that did, though._ They must have marched here day and night to get to where they were currently basing themselves.

But who was at the edge of the destroyed town of Esgaroth, separate from the large camp at the base of the mountain? It took longer than it should have, but it quickly became clear. If the Men were planning to go to war, they wouldn't have the woman and children in the midst of it. They would have left them out of the middle of the feuding so that they were safer from a distance.

_They think there is going to be a fight._

It felt like an eternity, but in only a few minutes my friends met the group of Elves and Men down the small slope and at the edge of the mountain base. My stomach clenched nervously. I hated that I wasn't out there with them.

I wasn't the only one that was reacting in such a way; the tension in the air was so thick that I could cut it with a knife. Kili was pacing anxiously at my side, glancing out beyond the doors every few seconds. His fear was in seeing his older brother and his uncle out there, and I understood that. As he walked past once more, I quickly grabbed his hand to stop him at my side and gave it a squeeze.

He looked at me, his dark eyes holding more dread than I could have imagined. The expression there made me look back at the group in the middle of the wasteland. I could see the tense shoulders of Fili and Bilbo in particular, though Thorin's whole body looked absolutely rigid with rage.

Something was wrong.

"We need to get out there now, something is happening." My voice was not more than a murmur, yet the entire company heard me. I snapped my head up to look at Kili, and then to Dori, pleading with them through my eyes.

Dori gave another hard look towards our friends, and nodded sharply.

"Let's go, lads. I do not have a good feeling about this." I let go of Kili's hand as he left the relative safety of the mountain. Turning to Josh, I outstretched one of my arms to stop him as he tried to move past me.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, his voice strained with the fear that we both held.

"You need to stay here Josh. Something is wrong, I can just feel it."

"I'm not staying here while all of my friends and family are out there!" He looked angry and hurt, bringing me back to the night I had tried to tell him that we were going back to our world. He was more stubborn than anything else, but I had to try and stop him from going out there.

"Can you please just trust me? I wouldn't do this if I didn't feel the need to!" He narrowed his eyes at me, and made an attempt to reply to my words, when a yell sounded from outside. I moved my eyes to try and dissimulate what was going on, but I became overwhelmed with fear in what I saw.

The company that had just left the Front Gate were now running towards the others. I could hear many shouts, but not what they were saying. Fili was out there. Bilbo was out there.

Without a second thought, I turned to Josh and spoke again before running down towards them.

"Stay _here!"_

"Not a chance," was his reply, and I felt him at my side as I ran towards the company. _For fucks sake Josh! Why can't you just listen to me? _We ran as quickly as we could, catching up with the others within seconds as we found ourselves in the presence of the Men and Elves.

"How did you get your filthy hands upon the jewel of my fathers?" Thorin was absolutely livid, his voice echoing off of the rocky mountain side surrounding us. I finally saw who the figures that stood in front of us were; Bard was stood beside two Elves with pale blonde hair, with a number of Men and Elves standing behind them, shoulders tense and seemingly prepared for the worst. All of their faces were showing, except for one man who stood with the hood of his grey cloak obscuring his face.

The two Elves that I first saw made my skin crawl because I knew exactly who they were. King Thranduil stood with Legolas at his side; I moved behind Dwalin when I noticed them, though it seemed as though Legolas saw my movement. His eyes flicked over to where I stood, and a dark look was sent my way.

My eyes focused on what was happening at hand when Thorin spoke again, his voice barely controlling his wrath.

"Thieves! How did you steal my family's heirloom?" Thorin stepped further forward. Despite him being several heads shorter than both Bard and Thranduil, the ferocity in his entire demeanour made him intimidating and plain scary. Bard took the slightest of steps backwards and raised his eyebrows at Thorin's movement. I could see what Bard was holding then; in his arms was a small chest, and in it, the gleaming Arkenstone that I had seen just once before… But how did he get hold of it?

Oh, no..

Bilbo..

"We will return what is yours, when you bring out what is ours." There was a split seconds silence in which I briefly thought Thorin was going to agree to Bard's words, but my hope disappeared almost instantly.

"How did you come by it!?" Thorin roared, his voice quivering the air around us. I thought that he was going to shout again, but a small voice came from nearby and caused us all to turn around and look at the source in shock.

"It was me! I gave them the Arkenstone!" Bilbo moved from the midst of the company, standing near to Thorin but far enough out of his reach. I was glad for that, because in the next second Thorin spun to face Bilbo and lunged towards him.

"You! You miserable, deceitful little Hobbit!" Thorin lunged for Bilbo once more, though this time the Hobbit couldn't get away fast enough. Thorin grabbed him tightly by the shoulders and shook him roughly, shouting more curses his way. I pushed past Dwalin, the anger within me bubbling up as I saw what Thorin was doing to Bilbo.

I was going to kick him right in his idiotic face.

My opportunity was lost though, as a powerful voice erupted from in front of us. I snapped my gaze towards the source and I swear I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

"Gandalf!" I yelled, shock and relief filling the tones of my voice. I heard some sighs of relief and some mutters of annoyance amongst our own company, but I ignored them and focused on the Wizard, who had unveiled the hood from his face and moved forward quickly.

He faced Thorin, unhanding him of Bilbo and pushing the Hobbit behind himself as Thorin moved in an attempt to grab him again.

"Thorin Oakenshield, you will stop this madness!" Gandalf's voice grew, his whole demeanour shifting into something darker and more sinister. I shivered against the power of it, though kept my eyes closely fixed on Gandalf and the terrified Bilbo who was cowering behind him.

"Your _burglar_ stole what is mine by rights, and gave it to these-these _filthy_ peasants!" I looked at Thorin, wide eyed, as his words rung in my ears. They sounded much too familiar for my liking and I could feel a chill down my spine.

"You have not even listened to dear Bilbo!" Thorin glared up at Gandalf, before his hate-filled eyes moved down to Bilbo. The Hobbit moved slightly from behind Gandalf, and with his hand in his front pocket, he stood up straighter and spoke.

"As per the details of the contract in which I signed all those months ago, I was promised one sixteenth of all total profits to do with as I pleased. I took the Arkenstone as my share of the profit, and have done with it as I wished." Thorin looked as though he was about to lunge at Bilbo, but Gandalf spoke once more before he made a move.

"Your anger does not lie with Bilbo, nor the Men of the Lake or the Elves of Mirkwood. If you give a share of the treasure hoard as reparations for the destruction of Esgaroth, then you shall receive your Arkenstone." The Dwarvish King stood there looking at Gandalf for a moment before his gaze lay upon the stone. It was a long time before anyone spoke or even moved for that matter. I held my breath as I glanced between each face of those before us.

Most looked nervous. Some looked confident and victorious. I gave a dark look at Thranduil, who was the one who looked as though he had just won first place in a beauty pageant. I wanted to wipe the smug look off of his face.

It felt like forever before Thorin tore his gaze from the Arkenstone and spoke, the anger and frustration still too evident in his voice.

"You will have one-sixteenth of the treasure, though it will be the burglar's share that you will receive. Deal with him as you will, as he will not be getting a share from the rest of my forefather's wealth." He spat the words out behind gritted teeth and a clenched jaw.

I just wished that he would get rid of more of it; the effect that it was having on the stubborn Dwarf was turning him into something that I didn't think he really was. He would have never treated Bilbo like that, not after the Hobbit saved his life. He wouldn't treat Fili or Kili, or the company for that matter, the way he was.

He was sick.

"We will keep the Arkenstone until you bring us our share," Bard said sternly, his expression hard and determined. Thorin took several steps back towards him, his chest expanding by the second.

"Very well, but you will take this traitor with you!" He moved back towards Bilbo, who edged closer to the Elves and Men. "Go with these new friends of yours, and take our friendship with you! We are done." Thorin spat the words as if they were poison on his tongue and turned on his heel, brushing past the company and back towards the Front Gate of Erebor.

The company stood for a few moments with confused and torn expressions, glancing between Bilbo and Thorin. I felt absolutely shocked, so much so that I couldn't move for several seconds. My eyes moved to Bilbo's, and I could see him standing there with a look of utter loss and complete despair all too clear on his face. My feet moved towards him before my mind knew what I was doing.

He looked at me with some fear in his expression as I moved quickly and encircled him in my arms, not wanting to let him go. I looked up at Gandalf with an expression that I knew would be something close to soundless pleading. He couldn't let Thorin do this. He couldn't do this to Bilbo!

"Miss Amelia, if you do not return with the company now, Thorin will cast you out also," Gandalf murmured his words to me, out of earshot from the Elves that had moved away but were still lingering. I glanced at Bilbo, who I still had at an arms-length, and begun to argue before Gandalf cut off my words.

"I will take care of Mister Baggins, do not fear. I feel as though your presence will be needed with the company; they will need to see reason, and you will need to lead them to it."

How the fuck was I supposed to do that? I had already tried to talk to Thorin, to force him out of his obsession with the damn Arkenstone, but it had failed.

"I don't know what to do, Gandalf." I whispered, my head dropping in frustration. He placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked up into the grey-blue eyes of the gentle Wizard.

"Trust your instincts; it is that which has carried you thus far." He nodded deeply, and placed the hand onto Bilbo's shoulder to nudge him away from the mountain. Bilbo gave me a desperately sad look, before turning away from me.

I clenched my fists in remembering exactly why he was being sent away. With the new found anger spreading through my veins, I spun around and ran up the slope to catch up with the company. They had almost made it to the Front Gate, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be left out here. Not until I had taken my anger out on the thick-headed, imbecilic Dwarf that had just abandoned not only my best friend, but the person who had single-handedly saved his life.

The company moved quickly inside the Front Gate, though I noticed Josh searching behind him. He quickly caught my gaze as I ran up the rest of the slope, meeting him at the doors and moving inside with him. It was Dwalin that shut the gate behind us, and the yelling met my ears.

"Why did you cast Bilbo out like that? He is our burglar, and our friend!" Fili's voice rung through the hall as the company stood and watched the scene unfolding before them. Thorin turned around, his face full of betrayal and loss. It made my stomach curl.

"He is a thief and a traitor, conspiring with our enemies as such! He is no friend of mine." I glanced at the faces of the company, trying to determine their own reactions. Not one of them seemed to mirror Thorin's reaction; even Dwalin seemed slightly shocked. Most of the company looked sad though, especially Ori, Kili, Balin and Bofur.

"You have no enemies, Uncle! The Men lost their homes because of Smaug; we need to help them." Thorin stepped forward, coming toe to toe with Fili. Neither of them backed down, and I was well and truly over the heap of shit that was piling up around us.

"Stop it!" I screeched, moving in between the two and pushing against their chests so hard that the both of them stumbled backwards slightly. I glared at both of them, though Thorin in particular. Turning on him fully, I let my anger flow out into every motion I took and every word I spoke. Thorin's eyes widened slightly and his shoulders slumping infinitesimally as I moved towards him.

"Bilbo has saved your life, you fucking bastard. He has saved all of your lives more times than you can count, and this is how you repay him? You push him aside because he was trying to do the right thing? He could see the stone destroying you, Thorin! He was trying to help you!"

Though his expression remained stony, with each step I took in his direction, he would step back. I felt overwhelmed with anger; the darkness was beginning to overtake me, and I couldn't stop it. I needed to get him to understand what his damn actions were doing. Why the hell couldn't he see?

He opened his mouth to reply, but a noise from the distance stopped him instantly and his expression became overwhelmed with such a victorious look which I didn't understand.

The noise was loud and like the horn we had heard that morning, though much deeper. The look on Thorin's face made me realise that it certainly wasn't the Elves or Men this time. He turned away from me and walked with incredible speed towards the staircase that led to the balcony in which we had slept the night before.

I followed quickly after him, though glanced at the rest of the company in confusion and in an attempt to understand what was going on. They all showed a look of recognition, though not all of them became relieved. Most of them looked much tenser than they had five minutes earlier, and it just confused me even more.

We ran up the stairs after Thorin, crossing the balcony floor in a small number of large strides. I heard Thorin speak before I could witness myself what had come about.

"Oh Mahal, Dain has arrived from the Iron Hills!" I ran the remainder of the distance and looked to where Thorin's gaze was held. To my far left, I could see hundreds upon hundreds of tiny figures moving across the plains in a large, absolutely enormous grouping.

The deep bass of the horn sounded again, and the noise filled me with anxiety. I looked towards the camp of the Men and Elves to see them frantically rushing around and moving towards the edge of the grouping closest to the approaching army.

Thorin turned around to the company, who were all now watching the scene unfold from the balcony.

"Gather your armour and weapons, lads. We are going to war." Thorin's voice spoke with so much authority that most of the company moved without question.

I just stood there with my mouth agape. Josh was the same, looking between me and the moving company in confusion and fear. Fili stood with his back to us, his hands clenching and unclenching as Kili moved to his side and murmured something under his breath.

Their whispers became louder as they begun to argue, their postures absolutely tense and voices full of anger. I didn't know what to do. I was still in shock.

They couldn't just go to war. Thorin couldn't do this.

What about the women and kids from Esgaroth? What about Bilbo and Gandalf? What about the company? Fili, Kili and Ori could be hurt, oh my god.

I wouldn't let this happen. I couldn't let this happen.

I ran past Fili and Kili as they argued, quickly making my way down the staircase and towards the company whom I saw jogging towards a passage way across the large hall. Thorin was letting his obsession take hold of him, and he wasn't thinking straight. He couldn't just go to war with them over such a fucking ridiculous reason.

"Thorin!" I yelled out, only managing to catch the attention of few of the company as I did so. It was mostly the older Dwarves that ignored me, I noticed with anger. The passage quickly ended and opened up into a large room, which I quickly saw was full of armour and weaponry.

"Thorin, will you stop!" I shouted, finally earning the attention of the Dwarf. He turned to me with his steel blue eyes alight with the fire of the violence that was to come. Crushing the fear I felt as I looked at him, I spoke again with much more composure.

"You can't do this. Please, just think about the women and children down there." My words saw no reaction, so I tried a different tactic.

"What about the company? You're about to send them into war over something that can be settled so easily. What about Fili and Kili? Your family could die because of your stubbornness!" That most definitely gained the reaction I was aiming for. His brow furrowed over his eyes that changed from anger and bloodlust to sadness and sorrow.

"What would you have me do?" His voice was stony, but in his expression I could see desperation there. Slumping my shoulders, I took a deep breath in preparation for what I was about to say.

"You need to give them part of the treasure, Thorin. It's the only way, and you owe them that much." He stood staring at the ground at my feet for a long time, before his expression changed and all my hope was lost.

"No. I will not destroy the sacredness of my forefathers' memory by giving their wealth to those thieves and traitors." I opened my mouth to argue with him once more, though he stopped me instantly.

"If you speak once more against my word, then you shall take your friendship to the Men and Elves at the foot of Erebor. You fight with us, or against us." I stood there for a long time, just staring at him in disbelief, before I turned around and walked back out the way I had come through.

There was no use in arguing with him. There was no point in stopping him from what he had already set out to do, because he was a damn Dwarf and stubbornness was something he seemed enriched in.

I clenched my fists and dug my nails into the palms of my hands. Gandalf shouldn't have trusted me to try and do this! How could I try and stop Thorin from going to war. Running out of the dimly lit tunnels, I quickly entered the large hall.

"We must stop Uncle from doing this!" Kili's voice rung out from the stairs, and I looked upwards to see Fili moving swiftly down them with Kili in tow. The younger brother's voice was almost pleading, though Fili's expression was as hard as the stone of the mountain.

"Our King and our Uncle has given us orders, and we must follow," Fili said grudgingly as he left the stairs and moved towards me to where I had just emerged the passageway.

"We have to do something, though!" I exclaimed angrily as I came to meet them across the hall. Fili looked at me with desperate eyes, glancing between his brother and I. I could see the confusion and indecision in his expression, as if he was torn between doing what his Uncle expected and doing what was right.

He sighed and spoke to Kili in Khuzdul; the younger Durin nodded sharply to what he said, as Fili turned back to me.

"We will attempt to speak to him, but his mind is clouded with the stone. I do not know if he will listen." I took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze in encouragement. He nodded back at me and within seconds let go of my hand and moved past me with Kili, into the passage where the company were.

I closed my eyes and just stood there for a long time. The blissful ignorance from this morning had disappeared, and I felt myself longing for that moment once more. This was too much for just one person to deal with! I wasn't even from this damn world!

Remembering that I wasn't the only one who wasn't from Middle Earth, I quickly made my way up the stairs to where I knew Josh had been earlier. As I had expected, I saw him there; what surprised me was seeing him standing at the edge of the balcony, his elbows leaning on the carved stone and his face cupped in between his hands.

I moved over to him and put my hand on his shoulder as my fear for him came over me like a tonne of bricks.

"Josh, are you alright?" He slowly stood upright, his hands moving from his face to reveal his eyes that were brimmed with tears. I couldn't help it when I felt my own eyes well at the heartbreaking sight of my brother.

"What can we do Amelia? We can't let them fight! Sigrid is out there, and so are the kids from Lake Town. If they fight each other, they could be left without more than their town! We need to do something.." He had kicked the balcony during his angry and fearful outburst, causing me to jump slightly.

Josh sobbed infinitesimally, his shoulders slumping in defeat. It was all I could do to pull him towards me in a hug and wrap my arms tightly around him. He started to shake in his sobbing, and I had never felt so helpless.

I had never seen him cry in my life. Not even when he had told me of the abuse from our father, he hadn't shed a tear, nor when our mother died. Now though, he was completely and utterly distraught.

He cared more about the people around him than himself, and that made him the most selfless person I knew.

We stood there for a long time, not moving. He was right, as he always was. We needed to do something, anything at all to stop this from happening. It was when Josh begun to quieten that I realised there was something we could do.

"Josh, we can stop this." He stepped back from me slightly to look at me, his eyes still red from the tears.

"How?" I moved back towards the balcony, looking over at what was happening in front of us. Dain's army had stopped just before the camp of the Men and Elves, and I could see a small gathering of figures in between the two. I knew exactly what we needed to do.

"We need to go out there and tell them that Thorin has agreed to send the treasure out, and tell Dain that there isn't going to be any fighting! If we take some of the gold out with us, then hopefully they will see it as a sign of good faith, just until we can beat some sense into Thorin!"

I smiled at him widely, my plan sounding somewhat better than what I had thought of in my mind. Josh's eyes became filled with determination and a small smile hinted at his lips as he considered my words.

Looking quickly back to the camps that lay in the lands before us, I turned around and made my way towards the stairs.

"Stay here Josh! I'm going to get some gold from the treasure halls, then I will bring them back and take them to Gandalf and Bard! This plan will work, I'm sure it will!" I shouted my optimistic words back at him, though when I reached the stairs, his confused voice made me stop dead in my tracks.

"Amelia, what the hell is that?" I turned around quickly to see him facing towards the balcony and looking to the sky overhead. I didn't even need to move from where I was to see exactly what he was staring at, but I moved nonetheless.

I walked back to him in almost a dumbfounded stupor. On the horizon in the far distance, it looked as though there were pitch black storm clouds that loomed over the mountains.

"Those clouds weren't there a few minutes ago?" I murmured to Josh as I stood beside him. His reply made my blood run cold.

"They aren't clouds; it's moving too fast for it to be." Squinting my eyes to try and decipher the image, I realised he was right. The blackness that seeped from the horizon was beginning to darken the sky, and darken the land below it.

"Do you feel that?" He whispered even quieter than before, glancing at me quickly. I could see the fear in his eyes, and I didn't need to ask what it was he felt. There was something about that which spread its tendrils out from over the mountains, something that absolutely terrified me. It was sick and dead and cold, and I felt my stomach heave at the sight.

"We need to get Thorin right now." Josh spoke when I could not, though his words broke me out of the trance the darkness had me in. I ran back over to the balcony and screamed out to Thorin and the company as loud as I could manage.

"Thorin! Fili! Quickly, come here _now_!" To my own ears I sounded desperate, and it was only a matter of moments before I could hear the scurry of footfalls across the stone floor, before the company led by Fili erupted from the passage way.

Each one of them had their weapons at the ready, and I could see the confusion on their faces as they looked up at me.

"You need to get up here now. Something is wrong!" I exclaimed, as they made their way across the hall and up the stairs. When they got to Josh and I, they didn't need to ask what was wrong. The black of the sky caught their eyes instantly, and their expressions mirrored Josh's.

No one moved an inch.

It was an old, decrepit voice which came from the balcony that broke each of us from our shock. I saw Josh's head turn to his right and he jumped backwards, a small yelp escaping his mouth.

"Thorin, son of Thrain! I bring tidings from the South," the voice called, and Thorin moved forward as Josh moved very quickly backwards. I took a few steps myself to see who had gotten onto the balcony without us realising; how the hell could anyone climb up there so fast?

I felt as surprised as Josh when I saw a large raven sitting atop the balcony, his wings as dark as a moonless night. His eyes were clouded over, giving an eerie look about the bird. I remembered suddenly what Kili had said several days earlier about a raven that was bringing messages to the company.

I quickly got over my surprise as the bird spoke again, his voice old but not weak in the slightest.

"Darkness is spreading over the sky, as an army gathers. Azog the defiler is leading an army of Orcs, Goblins and Wargs to the Lonely Mountain. Their army will not leave before the blood of Durin has been spilled."

My whole body tensed as I glanced at the company. None of them spoke a word, not even Thorin. Azog was coming. Oh my fucking god, an _army_ of Orcs and Wargs and Goblins was coming. We had almost been killed the last time we had faced them, and that was only a dozen or so!

"Battle dawns upon you, Thorin, King under the Mountain. Old alliances must be forged anew to defeat the darkness before it engulfs you." The raven turned around and flew away before Thorin could reply to his words.

There was no way to stop a fight now. The memory of the last time we had come across Azog in particular filled my mind; we had only just escaped him then, and it was pure luck that we had. How were we going to defeat him this time?

I looked up to Thorin, who had begun to pace back and forth across the balcony. It was Balin that spoke before anyone else drew the nerve to.

"Thorin, we must council with Dain, the Men and the Elves. Roäc speaks truth; we cannot defeat Azog without the help of those on our doorstep." Thorin looked at Balin with a flash of betrayal in his eyes, before he cast his eyes to the floor and exhaled in defeat.

"Balin, Fili, Dwalin; we meet with Dain for council immediately." Thorin gave a sharp nod to the three Dwarves, before moving back down the staircase. Balin and Dwalin followed, and so did Fili after some whispered words to his brother and a glance towards Josh and I.

I moved over to the balcony and watched as the four moved from the Front Gate below us, towards the army of Dain, the camp of Men and Elves, and the darkness that was looming over all. My anxiety did nothing but intensify with each second that passed that entire afternoon, and not even once the four returned some hours later did I feel relieved.

We were going to war; the Dwarves, Elves and Men of Esgaroth were aligning themselves against the army that came from the South. The women and children of Lake Town were going to be taken further into the Mirkwood Forest by some of the Elvish people, so that they were closer the King's Halls and out of immediate danger.

I thought of the spiders that lurked in that forest and my skin crawled at the idea of the women and children being in there. I desperately hoped that some of the Elves were going to stay with them and keep them out of the darkness that hid within those trees.

I hated it more than anything, but the fact was they weren't at the forefront of my problems right now. At the current moment, the safety of my friends who were about to be on the frontlines of war, was my main cause for complete and utter inner turmoil.

It was late evening when Thorin, Fili, Dwalin and Balin returned. They brought back some food to give us strength for what was ahead, and they told the rest of us about what they had learned from their council.

Gandalf had told them that Azog's army would be there the following morning.

My friends were going to fight, and my friends could die tomorrow.

I thought about Ori and Bilbo trying to fight alongside the other warriors, and my heart clenched. I couldn't let them do it. Then I thought about Josh, and trying to imagine him fighting an Orc or a Warg made me feel dizzy.

There was no way I was going to let him fight.

How could I stop him though? He was as stubborn as Thorin, except he knew right from wrong. It was because of his unclouded judgement and his continuous attempts to do the right thing that he would try and fight with the company. I would be damned if I were to let him do that, though.

We had trained constantly over the past month, whenever we had the chance, and even though we had become quite good at wielding our blades and bows, there was no way we were prepared to fight.

I felt like I was in a god damn movie, and in a way I guess I was.

There was no way I could think of how to stop him from fighting besides hitting him over the head and knocking him out.

_Knock him out.._

I was still standing at the balcony as night fell on the land, when I knew exactly what I needed to do. Turning on my heel, I left to the armoury to find Oin. It didn't take long before I found him with the company, and I pulled him aside to speak with him out of earshot of the others, especially Josh who was being fitted by Bofur in chainmail.

"What is it lass?" Oin said as we left the passageway and came to the main hall.

"I need your help, but I also need your word that you won't speak of this to anyone else." He gave me a curious look, before nodding and allowing me to continue.

"The herbs that you used to knock me out while we were in the tunnels.. Do you have any left?" He frowned at me and then spoke, uncertainty evident in both his face and his voice.

"Why are you curious about this?" He countered, his tone laced with suspicion and trepidation. I sighed, unable to get his help without telling him. Lowering my voice, though not enough that the deaf Dwarf wouldn't hear me, I continued.

"I can't let Josh fight tomorrow. I know that he will want to, because he is as stubborn as you lot, but I can't. I promised our mother that I would keep him safe. Can you please put some of the plant in his food in the morning, so that he will sleep through the battle?"

Oin looked at me for a long time, his eyes searching the depths of my own. I had begun to give up hope that he would help me, before he nodded.

"The flowers of the plant Lissuin are only found in few places in Middle Earth. Their power brings peace of heart and often rest upon those who ingest even a small amount of the plant. Are you sure this is what you want?"

I regarded him for half a second before nodding my head sharply in confirmation.

"I'm not going to break my mother's promise. Not this time."

"Tomorrow morning when we break our fast, I shall do as such." With that, he turned back to the armoury. I took in a deep breath and followed after him; I wasn't going to let Josh fight, but I sure as hell was.

I was scared shitless, but I needed to help. There was no way that I was going to sit by idle, while my friends put their lives on the life. My vision focused on Ori, who I knew would help me find some armour. I feared that if I were to ask Fili or Kili, they would send me straight back out. They wouldn't want me to fight and I was sure of that. Fili would be absolutely against it, but I wasn't going to let him stop me.

"Ori, can you help me find some armour?" I murmured to the young Dwarf, who was also attempting to find something suited to his size. He gave me a confused look, his eyes wide as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't say anything," I interrupted, "You're not going to change my mind." He looked at me for a few seconds before nodding and turning to walk down a length of large shelves. Stopping at one, he came to a space which held something that shone almost pale white.

"Thorin gifted one of these to Bilbo, before… Before.." Ori looked uncomfortable as he stuttered over his words, before he managed to continue. "It is mithril, incredible strong and light." He held up the silver-white chainmail before him, examining it and myself.

"It should fit you, Amelia." I nodded and took the metal armour from his hands. A small gasp escaped my throat as I realised just how light it was; I felt as though I wasn't holding anything at all. Quickly I took off my coat and replaced it with the mithril chainmail. It was a little loose around me, though otherwise fit nicely. It didn't feel heavy at all, and I felt a little relieved at having some protection.

I still felt mostly terrified, though.

Taking my coat from the floor, I put it back over myself to cover the armour that I was now wearing. I nodded to the frowning Ori and moved back out from the armoury to the balcony where we had set up our camp. Everyone else was still looking through armour and swords, so I was alone to my thoughts. I looked over the balcony for a long time before any one of them returned, wondering about how Bilbo was going, and becoming more stressed with the battle that crept ever nearer.

That night, not one member of the company got enough sleep. We were all awake by the fire, eating little, sharpening weapons or going over attack strategies. I didn't pay any attention to their words; my own mind was clouded with crippling fear of what was ahead.

I didn't know what was going to happen. For the first time in months, I attempted to remember how the book and movies ended. I clawed my way through my own mind and my own memories to find the answer.

Surely it wouldn't end like this. How could it?

Fili sat close to the fire, sharpening his blades on a whetstone that he held within his hands. I moved next to him and sat down, unsheathing my weapons as I did so.

"Can you sharpen mine too?" I murmured to him. He glanced up from his daggers and gave me a confused look, his brow furrowed.

"Why would you need yours honed?" I gave him a pointed stare as he realised what I was saying.

"You're not fighting tomorrow!" He exclaimed in a hushed whisper, anxiety filling his whole expression.

"Yes I am, and you're not stopping me Fili." He opened his mouth to say something more, but I forced my blades onto his lap and stood to move back to the balcony. He muttered under his breath in Khuzdul, but I ignored him.

The freezing air whipped around my cheeks and my hair, blowing it in the breeze. It wasn't long before Josh came over and stood at my side, looking over the world ahead of us in silence. It felt like forever before I spoke.

"Mum misses you, Josh." I whispered quietly. I saw his head snap towards me from the corner of my eye, his own expression laced with uncertainty.

"What do you mean?" He said, and I turned to face him. I needed to tell him about what happened while I was asleep, or what I thought had happened.

"The flowers that I ate, the ones that Oin gave to me.. They have certain side effects. I.. While I was sleeping, I saw mum, Josh. I saw her and I talked to her. I don't know how, but it's true. She said that there was much magic in Middle Earth that made it possible.. She told me that she loves and misses you.."

Josh's eyes welled with tears suddenly, and I was again taken aback by his reaction. He didn't say anything, but looked up to the sky instead. There we stood in silence once more, however it wasn't uncomfortable. He hadn't spoken his thoughts on what I had said, though I knew that he believed me. Of course he would believe me.

I felt as though it was the early hours of the morning before I even attempted to go to sleep. I lay on my blankets next to Fili, who was already asleep. I noticed that my blades were next to my rucksack, and after lightly touching the edges of them both, I knew that he had sharpened them as I had asked.

Wrapping myself in my cloak and blanket, I barely felt the chainmail that hung from my shoulders. The knot in my chest and stomach was more constricting than anything else, and I reached my hand out to take hold of Fili's in an attempt to relieve the pressure that was building there.

The instant he entwined his fingers around mine my anxiety lifted slightly. It was enough to allow me to lull into a light sleep, though I remembered two things before I drifted out of conscious mind.

The first, were the words I mumbled under my breath to the Dwarf that was lying at my side.

"I love you, Fili."

The second was the tight squeeze of my hand from the warm grip of Fili's.

* * *

><p>I awoke to the shouts of people from nearby and afar. Snapping my eyes open, I saw the company jumping to their feet and fitting themselves in the armour that they found the night before.<p>

This was it. This was really happening.

I glanced over to Oin and nodded to him. After some hesitation and a regretful look in his eye, he nodded back. Even though he didn't quite agree with me in doing this to Josh, he had to understand that it was the only thing I could do.

Bombur moved quickly among the company, handing out rations of food. I focused intently on Josh as he received several pieces of bread in which he downed quickly. Dori came over to me and offered a small cup of warm tea.

"Miss Amelia, some tea to calm your nerves." I nodded my thanks to him as I watched Josh's every movement, and took a deep sip of the drink Dori had made for me.

It was when I finished the mouthful that I recognised the smell of the tea.

My grip on the cup faltered and it dropped to the ground, smashing into a thousand pieces.

"Dori," I cried, my voice filling with anger and betrayal.

He glanced down at his feet, unable to look me in the eye.

I looked into the faces of the company.

They knew. Each and every one of them knew.

I turned to Josh, his expression filled with guilt.

My hands started to shake and I stumbled slightly, my head becoming foggy.

"Oin! You promised me!" I screeched, the energy draining from my body.

Josh and Fili quickly moved over to me as I began to fall.

Hands caught me before my head hit the floor, and laid me down.

I couldn't move anything but my mouth as I continued to yell at the company, though my voice begun to weaken with each word I spoke.

"Don't fucking do this to me! You can't let Josh fight! Fili, you bastard!" They looked at me, their eyes full of pity and guilt.

"You stay with her, Josh." Fili spoke, but it sounded as though he was speaking through glass. His voice was unclear and distant to my ears.

My vision clouded. My breath began to slow. My limbs felt obsolete.

I felt Fili's hand on my cheek and lips on my forehead, more than I saw it. His voice was even further away this time, and it was the last thing I heard.

"We will come back soon, _delva_. I pinky promise."

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><p><strong>Hey everyone! Sorry about such a late update, I have been busy with exams and this was a really hard chapter to write. Thank you for your wonderful reviews, and welcome to my new followers! You guys motivate me to continue writing so frequently, so thanks a bunch :)<strong>

**Note: The Lissuin plant that I have used as the flower that drugged Amelia, I found listed on the Tolkien Gateway :)**

**The next few chapters are going to be big, as you can tell! The way that I am going with this story hasn't been done by any fanfiction that I have read so far, so I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on it! Thanks again everyone and have a great day :)**


	26. We Are Broken

**First warning: There are a lot of graphics in this chapter, please be aware.**

**Second warning: I'm sorry; I'm so, _so_ sorry.**

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><p><em>I was at that point of unconsciousness where I felt as though I didn't need to be anywhere. I sighed. If there <em>_**was **__somewhere I needed to be, I couldn't remember. I didn't want to remember._

_My mind was at peace. I felt contented and relaxed, as though I was lying atop a cloud. I felt weightless. I was free. There wasn't a time in my entire life where I remembered feeling just so calm; it was so completely liberating. _

_Slowly, very slowly, I began to take note of my surroundings. I stretched out my fingertips above me, feeling warmth against my skin. Smiling to myself, I relished the graceful touches of sunlight upon me. I couldn't remember it ever feeling just so wonderful._

_When was the last time I had felt the sun?_

_It wasn't warm where I was before.. It had been cold.._

_Where exactly had I been before? _

_I opened my eyes to see the sunlight beaming down upon me. Sitting up, I saw that I had been lying atop a picnic rug. It looked familiar; the whole scene around me looked oddly reminiscent of somewhere I had been before._

_A sickening feeling began to grow in the pit of my stomach. Where was I? Why did I suddenly feel as though I was forgetting something important?_

_I stood from where I had been sitting, glancing all around me to figure out what was happening. In the distance, I could hear the soft chiming of a child's laughter, but I couldn't discern the direction it was coming from. I spun around, trying to find the source. _

_The laughter seemed to fade, and I begun to run through the grass fields to where I thought it may be coming from. My feet fell softly against the green grass and yellow flowers that dotted the beautiful meadow landscape. _

_The field spread out for a great distance before it met with hundreds of pine trees in an expansive forest. I stopped and looked beyond the trees to see darkness lurking within the corners of the woodland. My skin crawled when I realised that the shadows there, weren't shadows at all. The blackness expanded and slithered, swallowing all light that came near to the tree-line._

_I took several steps backwards before I heard the laughter again. It was coming from inside the forest. Dampening the fear within my heart and my mind, I moved towards the noises._

_I felt as though I was coming closer to the voice, when the sunlight began to falter from overhead. I looked above me to see dark clouds rolling quickly across the sky, rendering the light of the sun non-existent. Everything went dark._

_The laughter stopped as soon as the light ceased. A shiver ran down my spine, causing me to shake violently. I wrapped my arms around my body in an attempt to block myself from the freezing wind. Looking around me frantically, I heard a voice that sent a dagger straight to my heart._

"_Josh? Where did you go? I can't find you Josh, this isn't funny!" The young girl's voice rung out with confusion and in an instant I knew who she was._

_It was me.. I had been here before, I knew I had.. She was looking for Josh. Where was Josh?_

_A shocked gasp left my mouth as I realised what was going on. I remembered exactly what had happened, and I knew where I was._

_They had drugged me. They had tricked me, oh my god, and now they were going into battle. _

_I felt anger course through my chest. How could they do this to me! All of them had known, every single one of them!_

_If Fili thought that Josh was going to stay with me while I slept, he was a damn fool. There is no way he would stay behind while his friends were out in the midst of danger. He was too stubborn and always completely disregarded his own safety for that of the people around him._

_What the hell was I supposed to do?_

_I heard the terrified voice of my younger self again, crying out to Josh. My chest began to constrict as I realised that I really didn't know where he was. I started to call out his name as well._

"_Josh! Josh!" I cried, my vision becoming blurred with tears. I didn't know how to get to him. I was still sleeping; how the fuck was I supposed to wake up? The last time it had taken me two days to become conscious again!_

_I needed to wake up, now._

_Closing my eyes, I clenched my fists tightly against my crossed arms. _

"_Wake up, wake up.." I whispered to myself. My whole body shook against the wind and the fear that was overcoming my senses. "Wake up!" I continued in frustration, almost becoming a chant as I repeated it over and over._

_I didn't know how long I stood there with my eyes closed, before a clear and afraid voice sounded out to me. _

"_Amelia! What are you doing here?" I opened my eyes instantly to see her running across the darkened field towards me._

_My mother._

_I ran forward and met her halfway as she took me in her arms. Tears streamed soundlessly down my face as my skin warmed to her touch. I felt safe and secure, and I never wanted to leave her embrace._

_It was as if she could read my mind._

"_You can't stay here, sweet pea!" I looked up at her face, and saw her expression filled with more fear than I had ever seen in anyone's eyes._

"_What do you mean?" I choked out. She took her arms from around me to hold my hands tightly within hers. Her green eyes looked back at me with such intensity and blazing urgency, that I held my breath with nervous anticipation._

"_Josh is gone. He isn't with you, Amelia. He has gone after the company, and you need to wake up right now if you are going to save him." I felt like I was going to be sick. I tried to breathe in, but I couldn't. She grabbed me by the shoulders, her hands rubbing patterns over my shoulders._

"_Amelia, breathe in deeply, and listen." I searched her eyes and heeded her words, slowly taking in air in an attempt to stop myself from breaking down. I focused my vision on nothing but the green orbs that were fixated on me. She began to speak again, as I calmed down enough to understand what she was saying to me._

"_You need to be strong. You need to go and help your friends, and you need to protect your brother. You have it in you to do this; you just have to trust yourself and your instincts." I nodded at her words, a new found resolve growing within my heart._

_I needed to go and protect Josh. I needed to do what I have done all along. I had to help the company._

_I was so afraid though, more than I had been in all my life._

"_How do I get back?" I whispered, looking at her as a small smile grew on her face._

"_I will take care of that." She took my hands again, and moved her face close to mine._

"_I believe in you, sweet pea. I love you." With that, she moved her lips to the tip of my nose and I saw nothing but a bright yellow light._

* * *

><p>My eyes opened suddenly to see the stone of the mountain above me, dimly lit by the little light emanating from the balcony to my left. It didn't take me any time to remember what was happening. I sat upright quickly, though my head thrummed in pain and I felt overwhelmingly dizzy.<p>

Biting down the bile that was rising in my throat, I stood up from where I had been laying. I had to compose myself for several minutes before I was able to get my nausea under control and manage to see straight.

I glanced down and my eyes caught on my wrist; I saw the brown leather bracelet that was knotted tightly there, and my heart clenched. It was Fili's bracelet, his gift of courtship for me.

Fili was out there. Kili was out there, and Josh, and Ori and Bilbo. I strengthened my determination and pushed the fear far into the deepest corners of my heart.

I bent down and grabbed my dual blades from the ground, weighing them between my palms. Gripping the hilts tightly, despite the pain in my wrist, I took a deep breath and moved down the stairs towards the Front Gate. I pushed against one side of the massive door with all my strength, moving it slightly so that I was able to slip out of the small opening.

The shocking visions of the scene in front of me made me want to turn back around and run far, far away.

Down the slope in front of me, beyond the makeshift camp of the Elves and Men, were thousands of figures in the midst of fighting. I could hear the screams, shouts and battle cries echoing towards me.

Before I could consider what I was about to do, I ran forward with as much strength as I could muster to reach them.

The slope evened out into flat ground, and I was quickly in amongst many tents that were set up at the base of the Lonely Mountain. As I ran through the green and gold coloured fabric, the cries became clearer, piercing my heart as they pierced the air.

I reached the edge of the tents and burst into the battle before me.

Bodies lay scattered all around me.

Red and black liquid puddled and seeped into the ground beneath my feet.

I stared down at the ground, searching the dead faces as they looked unseeingly into the sky above me. I was going to be sick.

My gaze was broken by a guttural screech that sounded before me. I turned my eyes upwards and jumped to the left as an Orc ran towards me. It had lifted its jagged blade over his head and brought it down close to mine just as I managed to duck out of its reach.

I raised my blades up and found my defensive position, as Fili had taught me. The creature was horrific; its mutilated face held eyes that were barely visible, and its mouth was open to show the bare, bloodied teeth that stuck out like razors.

It leaped towards me again, its movements sloppy and unpredictable. As it brought the blade down towards my head once more, I ducked back to my right and with both blades, sliced across the Orcs stomach. I braced myself for another attack from the creature, but the cuts I had just inflicted were much deeper than I anticipated.

Black blood cascaded down the torso of the Orc, and there was a gurgled choking noise that erupted from its lungs before it collapsed to the ground face first. I pushed every emotion out of my mind, quelling the absolute horror I felt at what I had done, and what was happening in front of me.

_I needed to be strong._

_I needed to be objective._

_I needed to find the company._

In front of me, I could see Men, Elves and Dwarves everywhere, fighting against the hundreds, if not thousands, of Orcs, Goblins and Wargs. There was no beginning or end to the two forces; they were variegated amongst each other, fighting frantically.

_How long had they been fighting?_

_Find Josh. Find Fili._

I searched amongst the battle for the company. I could see many Dwarves, but none were my friends. I was alone. I couldn't see anyone, not even Gandalf or Bilbo.

The sounds of war filled my ears. The scrapes and clinks of metal against metal and the cries of metal through flesh occupied the air. There was nothing else but death and blood and anguish.

I felt tiny compared to the rest of the creatures that were fighting and dying before my eyes. They were all much taller than me, excepting the occasional Dwarf that swung his axe or warhammer.

Despite my small stature, I didn't go unnoticed. Orcs and Goblins of all sizes lunged and grabbed for me; my only advantage seemed to be that I was a weak woman in their eyes, and they didn't use excessive amounts of force to try and hold onto me or attack me.

Adrenalin pumped through my veins, intoxicating my bloodstream as I found more power and energy than I had in my life. This wasn't training. This was life and death. If I made one wrong move, I would cease to exist.

I saw a creature close to me, Goblin or Orc, I couldn't tell. It was as big as one of the Elves, and I saw it slashing and cutting down everything in sight. Three Men fell before my eyes, their crimson blood splaying through the air and covering the ground below the creature's feet. It roared, the deep tone reverberating through the air as if it challenged anyone to come and defeat it.

My stomach sunk when I saw a man that I recognised step forward, slashing a sword towards the creature. It missed, and the Orc-Goblin howled a menacing laughter as it leapt with incredible speed towards him.

Bard narrowly missed the blow, but it was the next assault in which he wasn't so lucky. The craggy blade held by the enemy slashed through the air and nicked Bard across the arm, causing him to falter as the creature swung his sword for a final blow.

Sigrid's father was about to die.

Before my mind caught up to my actions, I lunged in between the two.

I brought my swords before myself, crossing them over in a defensive hold as I had been taught by Gloin. The creature's sword swung and connected with my weapons instead of the side of Bard's neck. The force of the blow caused me to stumble backwards, and a violent shriek erupted from the throat of the Orc. With wide eyes, I saw the thing attempt to pierce me with his rough edged sword.

Jumping to the side, I continued to block the assault for as long as I could before my arms begun to feel like lead. I couldn't do it. The Orc was too fast and too skilled.

I was going to die, alone, in the middle of a world that shouldn't exist.

Soon, it would be _me_ that wouldn't exist.

Just as I thought the words, a sword pierced the chest of the creature from behind, exiting with a crunch through the front of its torso. Looking up at the face of the Orc, I saw the second its eyes become blank and dead.

I witnessed the sword exiting back out of its chest, as its body crumpled beneath itself and fell to the ground. Bard was standing there holding the dripping blade and clutching his arm, his face smeared with sweat, dirt and blood.

"Where is the company? Where is Thorin?" I yelled at him, my eyes beginning to search the tide of death and war that rushed past my vision in a blur.

With wide eyes, he looked at me for but a moment before searching the field surrounding us. The Orcs didn't stop coming at us though, and I found myself slashing and stabbing at bodies as their swords came swinging towards my face and my body.

I stayed as close as I dared to Bard, as he continued to slice the necks and pierce the bellies of the foes that came too near to him. Drops of liquid flew through the air with each of our movements, and my blades soon became slippery with blood. The black liquid dripped down to the hilts, causing my grip on them to slip slightly.

The momentary lapse in my concentration allowed the opportunity to present itself to an Orc that I had failed to see until the last moment. It screeched, and my eyes only snapped up in time to see the filthy creature attempt to drive its sword into my stomach.

The breath caught in my throat at the explosion of pain that originated from low in my belly. I looked down slowly, expecting to see the jagged weapon protruding from the bloody flesh there.

I almost gasped in shock with what I _actually_ saw.

The sword had become stuck, but from the mithril armour that I had almost forgotten I was wearing. It hadn't even passed the pale white metal, and I thanked Ori with all the gratitude within me before I quickly focused once more. As I looked back at the dumbfounded Orc, I swung one of my blades around and drove it deep into its neck.

The confusion didn't leave its face, not even when its body swung lifelessly to the ground, joining the mass of mangled and bloodied corpses that already lay there. My stomach was on fire, the pain grasping hold of the nerves there.

I vaguely wondered if that was what it would feel like to get shot while wearing a bulletproof vest, when I saw them.

I forgot the pain, as intense as it was. I forgot it, because what I saw through the bloody mess of the field in front of me paralysed my whole being.

Thorin was there, wielding his Elvish sword and the Oaken branch that I had returned to him all those months ago. He looked powerful, his long silver streaked hair falling around his damp and dirty face.

He was _fierce_. He was a _King._

My eyes flashed to where Thorin's gaze was held, the rage in his face all too evident in my sight.

The Pale Orc towered upon the Dwarvish King, regarding him with its yellow pointed teeth bared against the scarred skin of its mouth.

Azog, in all his ferocity and horror, begun to swing his mace at Thorin.

Everything moved in slow motion then.

I ran through the battle in an attempt to get closer, to _help him_.

Thorin ducked under the rapid speed of the mace, swinging his sword at Azog's chest in an attempt to cut him down.

In the next moment, I couldn't see what had happened. Something jumped at me, attempting to claw at my throat. I screamed, the fear I had pinned down in my heart now beginning to brim over. The creature scratched its sharp, disgusting claws at the skin of my face and neck, and I couldn't see Thorin.

I could feel blood drawing at the wounds as I finally managed to bring both of my blades upwards, driving them into the chest of the creature. It was a Goblin, only small but nonetheless blood-curdling.

I pushed the thing to the side, and glanced back up at Thorin. He was standing before Azog, who was now kneeling on the ground.

Blood dripped from a hole in its chest, quickly unoccupied by Thorin's blade as I saw him draw it from its body. Within a split second, Thorin spun his whole body around, the momentum swinging his blade at an unprecedented rate as it severed the Pale Orcs head clean from its shoulders.

Thorin had killed Azog.

_Thorin had killed Azog!_

I smiled victoriously, knowing full well that I probably looked like a serial killer at the present moment, covered in the blood of not only myself, but dozens of other creatures, Men and Elves alike.

_We had won!_

I ran again towards Thorin, slashing down the screeching Orcs and Goblins who had turned to face the body of their now decapitated leader. There was a ferocious roar that seemed to silence everything and everyone around me, and I lifted my gaze from the Goblin in which I had just pierced through the heart, to feel mine stop beating.

An Orc, almost as great as Azog, charged through the battle field towards Thorin.

The King under the Mountain had a split second to lift his gaze from the body of his fallen nemesis, just in enough time to see a jagged blade hit him across his armoured torso, sending him flying to the ground several meters away.

_Thorin._

_No._

_No!_

My blood ran cold, when, in the split-seconds silence of the battle, I heard the distinctive cry of three familiar voices. I didn't need to see Fili, Kili and Josh running towards Thorin's body, to know that they had just witnessed what I had.

Each of them looked bloody, completely covered in filth and mud. They found Thorin lying there and each of them stood in front of his body, fierce and filled with a fury that I had never witnessed in my life.

They stood, protecting Thorin's body, as they faced the creature that had just taken their Uncles life. The Orc howled with wrath, swinging its sword towards the three as they jumped and ducked out of its path. Each of them took swings at it from all directions, attempting to distract and kill it.

_They were going to die._

I screamed out, my lungs burning against the power of my own voice.

"Someone save them!" I shrieked, but there was no one around me that I knew. I was alone, and I was the only one that could get there in enough time. Striking down everything and anything from my way, I fought to get closer.

A roar bellowed out from nearby, but it wasn't the creature that my friends and brother were hopelessly attempting to subdue. Turning to my right, I witnessed something that, the last time I saw, caused me to break down.

At the current second, it was the cause for the hope that sparked within my heart.

A giant bear crashed through the enemies surrounding me, lunging for the Orc as it swung its sword one last time. Beorn was much larger than the creature, and it quickly took the head of the Orc between its jaws, and bit down.

I could hear the audible crunch of bones and metal between its teeth, as the arms and legs of the Orc ceased to move. Flinging the body through the air, Beorn continued to lunge through the field, swiping and biting anything that came into its path.

I thought that would have been the end of it. I thought the death of this last creature would signal an end to the fighting.

I have never been so wrong in my life.

Screeches and high pitched shrills pierced the air, and I could only assume that the Orc Beorn had just thrown as though it were a doll, was of some importance.

I continued to run towards Fili, Kili and Josh, but what I saw was something I couldn't reach in time.

Time stood still as I watched everything happen in slow motion.

Fili stood between our brothers, with Kili to his left and Josh to his right; I saw Josh look before him and his whole body tensed.

The sound of arrows perforating the air fell upon my ears before I could understand what was happening. Within a split-second, Josh pushed into Fili and in effect Kili, with his own body.

Kili fell to the ground at the force and Fili stumbled to the side, as arrows flew through the air towards them.

The battle field ceased to exist around me.

I saw the second half a dozen arrows pierced Josh and Fili.

"NO!" I screamed, running towards them with all the energy left in my being.

Josh and Fili dropped to the ground, their legs crumpling underneath them. I witnessed the moment Kili's eyes met Fili's. With wide, terrified eyes, he watched as Fili fell lifelessly backwards.

The horror in Kili's expression was quickly replaced by an uncontrolled rage, his pupils seeing nothing but blood.

He stood to his feet and cried out. I couldn't hear him though; blood pounded in my ears, and I could hear nothing but the frantic beating of my own heart as I raced towards them. Kili began to slash down the Orcs and Goblins that came too close to his brother's body.

_Fili's body._

I reached Josh and Fili and dropped to my knees, just as I saw an arrow hit Kili in the side of the stomach. He staggered backwards, dropping his sword to the ground at his feet. I tried to scream out his name as I saw an Orc march towards him.

My voice came out in a strangled cry as I witnessed the creature slash the young Durin's face with a blade, as Kili held his abdomen, clutching where the weapon protruded from his flesh.

Kili fell to the ground in front of me, as I knelt with Josh's head cradled in my lap. Josh's body was limp, the brown of his hair now darkened with sweat and blood. I sobbed, clutching my chest as I saw the arrow protruding from the flesh in between his neck and shoulder.

_My Josh._

_My brother._

I look up at the Orc as it walks towards me, a disgusting grin present on its mangled face. Glancing at Fili, I saw his closed eyes. I would never see the sky blue of them again.

_My Fili._

_My one._

_Take me_, I thought brokenly as I looked back at the Orc now looming above me, his sword poised to swing. _Kill me._

I wouldn't live in a world without them. I couldn't live in a world where I knew that they no longer existed. I refused.

"Do it," I whispered to the Orc, looking it dead in the eye as it snickered down at me.

I closed my eyes, and waited for death.

_I'm coming Josh. I'm coming Fili._

After several seconds, I wondered how easy death must be, if it was that painless. There was no bright light as I had thought there may be, no ascending into the clouds or angelic chorusing.

I still felt the pain in my stomach. I still heard the cries of death around me.

That was when I realised the blow had never come.

I opened my eyes to see the space before me bare of the Orc who, just seconds earlier, had prepared to cut his blade through my neck.

It was when I heard familiar screeches that I looked up to the sky.

Eagles swarmed overhead, swooping down and plucking Orcs from the battle field. My relief was non-existent when I realised that Josh was still limp in my arms.

The sobbing shook my chest. It reverberated down into my whole body, shaking me to the core.

"Josh," I choked out between shaky breaths. Taking my hand, I palmed it across his forehead to move the hair from his eyes. The only colour that lit his pale cheeks was the blood and dirt smeared across his face.

I sunk my head down, leaning it against his chest. My weeping became hysteric and I was unable to control my breathing.

My wailing echoed through the now quiet battle field. I heard nothing else. There were no shrieking, no more screams. The metallic clanks of the weaponry and armour had faded into the air now thick with the silence of death.

The only noises that remained were the broken tones of my own sobbing, as I clung to the lifeless body of my baby brother.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, hear me out before you all come and murder me in my sleep! I had written a full chapter (about 10,000 words) but have decided to split it into two, this being the first part of it. The reason I have done so, is for suspense. So the next chapter is written BUT I won't upload it for another week or two, just to make everyone squirm a bit..<strong>

**I may or may not be satan..**

**This chapter has been very emotionally hard to write, and I have encompassed myself in emotional music to get me into the right frame of mind for such an intense few scenes.. It has been difficult, to say the least. Anyway, please review/follow/favourite and thank you all so much! **


	27. Back to the Beginning

I didn't know how much time had passed until I realised that my sobbing was not the only movement I could feel.

From underneath my cheek, there was the fluctuation of a chest rising and falling; it was slow and subtle, but it was there.

Josh was still alive.

I snapped my head up, looking all around me for someone, _anyone,_ to help.

"Help!" I screamed through my hoarse throat. "Please, over here!" I saw figures around me, walking through the now idle battle field. The Orcs and Goblins were gone, but it wasn't over.

"Someone, help me please!" I screeched, ignoring the burning in my throat and lungs.

The figures turned and looked towards me. I only continued to gaze at them to make sure that they were moving towards us; once they were, my eyes fell back to Josh.

_He was still breathing._

"You're not dying on me Josh. Not today, not _ever_." Tears streamed down my face, silently now. Reluctantly I moved Josh's head to lay back on the ground as I clambered over to Fili.

My sobbing begun again as I saw arrows protruding from his body; there was one in his thigh, two in his shoulder near to his heart and one in his forearm.

"Fili," I cried, pressing my tear stained cheek to his chest. It felt like an eternity that I stayed there, listening, praying, _hoping_ beyond hope. I counted in my head the seconds that passed by.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

_Four._

_Thump-thump._

"Fili!" I exclaimed as I used my fingers to brush the blonde locks from his face, his lifeless face.

"Please, wake up! Fili! You _promised_, now come back to me!" There was no response, yet I could still feel his heart beating beneath my palm. I pressed my forehead against his, closing my eyes tightly as I gave up any attempt at ceasing to cry.

Tears continued to fall on his bloody face when hands grabbed my shoulders, pulling me away from him.

"No!" I screamed, breaking out of their grasp and throwing my arms around Fili. I wasn't going to leave him. I wasn't going to leave _them._

"Lass," a gruff voice said from behind me. He didn't touch me again, but I knew it was Dwalin. There was something in the way he said the word that made me turn my head to face him slightly, witnessing with my eyes what I had heard in his voice.

Covered in cuts and gashes, blood and grime smeared across his arms, he looked utterly defeated. He looked down at Fili with more emotion than I had ever seen in the face of Dwalin.

He looked _broken-hearted._

"He's still alive," I choked out, staring up at him in desperation. "Josh is still alive!" Dwalin snapped out of his despair, a flicker of determination alighting in his eyes.

"Oin!" He roared, gesturing to some figures close by. His voice echoed through the field much louder than I had tried previously, and suddenly there were people all around us; not only Dwarves, but Men and Elves too.

Oin was quickly at my side, looking over Fili with his brows furrowed in concentration. He pushed me aside quickly, though instead of fighting to stay close to Fili, I scrambled across to his brother who laid a few metres away.

I heard his moaning before I reached him, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

His face was covered in blood, and I grimaced at seeing the liquid pouring from a jagged gash expanding from his temple, across his cheek and down to his chin. The gaping flesh there caused my stomach to churn; another moan that escaped past his lips was the only thing that extinguished my need to throw up at the sight.

"Kili, can you hear me?" He coughed slightly, and I remembered the arrow that had pierced his stomach.

"Don't move, alright?" I whispered into his ear, taking his hand and holding it between mine. He whimpered, but squeezed my fingers tightly. I saw the tears that begun to trickle out of the corners of his closed eyes, mingling with the blood that was heavily smeared across his face as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Fi… Fili," He sobbed, violently coughing again before he could listen to the words that he needed to hear.

"He's alive, Kili. Just stay still, okay?" His eyes fluttered open, searching the depths of my own for any indication of a lie.

"A-alive?" He stammered, clenching my hands tightly within his grip. I nodded fervently, trying to convince him with all of my being that what I was saying was the truth. The tears stopped flowing from his eyes, and I saw relief wash over his eyes, before they began to slowly close.

"Oh no you don't!" I screamed at him, shaking his shoulders in a desperate attempt at keeping him conscious. He opened his eyes again, almost reluctantly, as he stared into the cloud filled sky above.

"So.. Tired.." He managed to mutter wearily, and I move my head above his own to look him directly in the eyes.

"Don't you dare let go, Kili. Think about Fili, you reckless idiot," I half laughed, half sobbed out brokenly. He just nodded and continued to look at the sky. If not for the strong grip that he held on my hand, I would have thought he was gone.

I would be damned if I was about to let him go so easily.

Everything from then on flew past me in a blur. I didn't see faces as I watched Men and Dwarves rushing to us with crudely made stretchers, pulled together with odd pieces of fabric and mangled branches.

I helped them lift Kili onto a stretcher with urgency, though taking care not to move the arrow protruding from his lower stomach.

I tried to let go of Kili so that I could help the others take Josh and Fili, but his grip tightened and fearful eyes flicked towards my questioning ones.

"Don't leave me," his weak voice whispered, and I nodded, again taking his hand as if it were my life line.

It truly was the only thing keeping me afloat.

I looked behind me to see Fili and Josh being moved onto two more makeshift transports. Beyond them, there was a third figure being surrounded, and when we passed by, I realised who it was.

_Thorin._

I had to turn away when I saw the crimson liquid seeping from the armour that had crumpled and torn open at his chest.

There were no words for the horror that lay before me. Tears again pricked at my eyes, and I fought to keep them from obscuring my vision.

I focused on the hand underneath my fingers as we began a steady jog through the battle field and towards the gold and green of the tents at the foot of Erebor. I kept murmuring to Kili as we edged closer; I talked to him about my world and of his. I spoke about the night that Josh and I had met him and Fili, and how I had been stunned at the sight of the two of them, with their long hair and odd clothing. He smiled slightly, closing his eyes but never lessening the strength of his grip on me.

I attempted to ignore the disfigured bodies and torn limbs that lay at my feet, but it was impossible. Constantly I had to look to the ground to avoid stepping on the lifeless and bloodied Orcs, Men, Dwarves and Elves that lay there.

Occasionally, one would moan or writhe in pain, and I found it hard to tear my gaze from the eyes that searched ours in pain and agony.

There was _so much_ death.

I didn't know if I hated myself for only caring about a dozen or so of those lives as I tried to search for the faces of my friends through the muddle of flesh, dirt and blood. The company, _my family_, were the only ones that mattered at that moment.

We brought Kili quickly into a tent to our right, and there were already several bed-type apparatus' made there. They were poorly constructed, but it was better than the cold dirt of the floor on which the tent was erect.

Ever so gently, the Men moved Kili's body onto the bed before taking the stretcher and leaving us alone.

"Can you still hear me, Kils?" I whispered from beside him. He gave my hand a squeeze, and I looked over his wounds.

The arrow protruding from his stomach went in at a downwards angle just below the armour he wore. I looked at the metal and saw a small dent at the edge; I realised quickly that the arrow must have hit there first, before the impact changed the course of the weapon into his body.

I prayed to whatever gods Kili held that it meant the arrow hadn't pierced any internal organs.

With shaky fingers, I began to unclasp the armour from his body for when someone came to help him.

"Oin, please hurry," I murmured under my breath.

I threw the chest plate to the ground to reveal the extent of which the blood had stained his tunic. With wide eyes, I unsheathed one of my blades and ran it through his tunic to expose his torso.

His body was covered in black and blue bruises, and I cringed against the sight.

I didn't know what I could do. How could I help him?

Closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath, I tried to think of anything from my memory that would help me.

I thought of the plants that Oin had taught Bilbo and I about, though I doubted they would help now. If only we were back in our world! I had watched and re-watched almost every medical show to come out of Australia and America combined; sure, it was mostly drama and more than its fair share of steamy doctors, but it was based on actual procedures.

_Right?_

Fat lot of good it would do here though. Anything that they used in modern hospitals didn't even exist here. I moved from Kili's side to kick the armour across the ground, yelling a string of curses as I did so.

It was at that moment that another stretcher came in, with Oin and Dwalin following closely at its side. Oin was moving as quickly as I had ever seen him move, fussing over the blonde haired Dwarf that lay lifelessly on the stretcher.

"Fili!" I sobbed, trying to move to his side but swiftly stopped by Dwalin as a third stretcher moved in suddenly.

Josh's pale face was all I saw from behind Dwalin's large arms. I tried desperately to move past him, but he held me in place by the shoulders, looking into my eyes.

"You must let Oin work," he said in his deep voice. I looked back at him expecting to see anger there, but it wasn't so. He looked at me with concern, his own grief evident in his dark eyes as if I were looking into a mirror; my heart felt as though it had been ripped from my chest.

"I can help him Dwalin!" I cried. He looked at me apprehensively, but I continued.

"Oin has taught me about your medicines, and I know about some things from my world. I can help, please.. I'm not going to let them die.." After several seconds, he nodded doubtfully and moved aside.

The tent had cleared of all but Oin, Dwalin and I. Without any delay, I moved to the older dwarf's side.

"Tell me what you need me to do," I said loudly, well aware that the Dwarf didn't have his hearing trumpet with him.

He looked at me for but a moment with pity in his eyes, before barking out orders.

"Remove as much armour and cloth from them as you can, without touching the arrows. We must remove those quickly in the case that they are poison-tipped. Dwalin, gather as many clean cloths as you can find, and bring them back with some boiled water."

I thought that Dwalin would complain about his role, but he said nothing and in a rush moved out of the tent.

Looking to the faces of the three that I loved more than anyone else, a sob escaped my throat. Before my mind could linger on what may happen to them, Oin snapped me out of it.

"Quickly, woman! We do not have much time." I bit down on my tongue and shut my emotions out so as to follow every instruction he ordered to a tee.

I unclasped the armoured plates from Fili and Josh's chests; between the two of them, there were eight arrows protruding from their bodies.

Josh had one in the crook of his neck, where the base met the shoulder. Another was lodged in his ribcage on the same side as the one protruding from his neck. It had missed the armour, but I could see part of the tip.

I sighed a small relief to know that it hadn't gone past his rib cage to his lungs. Again, on the same side, one arrow stuck out from his hip, and one from the middle of his thigh, to the side of his body. The image of him pushing Fili and Kili out of the way of the onslaught of arrows filled my mind. He had tried to save them, and he had received the wood and metal embedded in the left side of his body as reward.

_Damn it Josh!_ I sobbed again, tearing his tunic open. _Why did you have to be so foolish and selfless?_

With unsteady hands, I continued to strip him of his clothes, while Oin worked on Kili.

Dwalin quickly returned with a number of cloths, a large wooden bucket of steaming water and a limping Ori in tow. Crying out to him, I ran and embraced him tightly.

To my embarrassment, my nose and eyes became like a tap as I blubbered out a number of indecipherable words into his hair. Ori didn't hesitate in moving his hands around my back, holding me tightly before, once again, Oin yelled to me.

Wiping my eyes and nose against the back of my hand, I apologised to anyone who would listen for my lack of tissues. _So gross Amelia_, I thought, before continuing what Oin needed me to do.

I finished working on Josh, and moved over to Fili. His chest shallowly rose and fell beneath my hands, and I carefully avoided the arrows that stuck from his body; two were embedded in his shoulder, just above where I imagined the heart would lie. One protruded from the thigh of his leg, and another from his forearm, which I suddenly realised, had stuck clean through.

As soon as I had ripped the clothes from his bare, broad chest, I took his arm in my hands to look at the arrow more closely.

"Oin," I called, looking over at him as he worked on Kili. He seemed to either completely ignore or didn't hear my words at all, as he grasped the arrow that was lodged in Kili's stomach and ripped it from the young Durin. I gasped at the sight as Kili shrieked in pain and writhed where he lay. Quickly, Dwalin and I ran over and pinned his arms and legs down while Ori and Oin worked to stop the blood that was now gushing out of the wound.

It took a long time before Kili stopped fighting and simply slumped against the bed.

"The arrow was not deep; I believe the armour stopped the force of the weapon before it found its mark. It has not hit any major organs." My relief was short lived, as I remembered what I was going to ask the healer.

"Are the arrows poisoned?" I questioned, afraid to know the answer.

Commanding Ori to keep his hands on the cloth that was held to Kili's stomach, Oin bent down to pick up the arrow that he had thrown to the ground. After inspecting it, he answered the three of us who had become statues in anxious anticipation.

"No, they are not." I cried in relief, a giddy laughter bubbling from my chest. Oin's next words cut a knife through the victory that I had momentarily felt.

"Lass, it does not mean that they will not die yet!" He snapped, his eyes glaring at me. After a seconds silence in which I had been rendered absolutely speechless, he sighed and dropped his head.

"For whatever reason, the arrows have not been dipped in poison. Perhaps the enemy thought they would win regardless; who is to know. What I can say, is that all three have lost too much blood. They may not make it through the night, and even if they do, infection will more than likely take them."

I just stared at him. It took me what felt like several lifetimes before I could comprehend and reply to his words.

"Are you telling me that they will probably die anyway?" I cried out, the tears instantly bursting from my eyes. I was being ripped from the inside out. Every inch of my body was alight with the anguish of his words.

I dropped to my knees, looking up at him in desperation for any indication that his words weren't true.

The grimace on his face was the nail in my metaphorical coffin of sanity.

Hysterically I began to cry, saying the names of the three over and over again as if in some way, it would bring them back from the edge of death.

It was the voice which I least expected to hear that brought me back from the brink of insanity.

_Do not cry, child._ I snapped my head upwards, expecting to see Galadriel, when I realised that I was the only one that had heard her. Oin had moved over to Josh and Fili, though Dwalin and Ori had seen my confusion and looked at me as if I had fallen off my rocker.

Before I could speak, the silvery and enchanting voice filled my head again.

_You must continue to help the healer. Once you have finished, come and find me._

The words shook me, but after a few minutes of composing myself, I stood once again and moved to Oin's side.

I can't remember how long we worked, but by the end of it, I was covered in blood. We removed each arrow from Fili and Josh, quickly cleaning, bandaging and tying off the wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

For the most part, we were successful, but it wasn't over.

Oin had been called away by some Elvish men, while Ori, Dwalin and I continued to work.

All three of them had lost ridiculous amounts of blood in the process; their faces were as pale as the clouds that still covered the sky, and their breathing was shallow and slow. I noticed the sweat beginning to bead on Kili's forehead, and realised that he was coming down with a fever.

Despite our attempts at cleaning the wounds to his stomach and face, they must have already become infected.

I gulped, wracking my mind to think of_ anything_ I could do to help him, when I remembered Galadriel.

"Ori, don't take your eyes off of them, okay? I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" He cried out behind me, his terrified voice causing me to turn back towards him and encompass the scared Dwarf in my arms.

"I just need to do something. I will be back as soon as I can." I moved out of his embrace and kissed his forehead, before turning away quickly and leaving through the tent.

As soon as I moved outside into the chilly afternoon air, the smell of burning and smoke assaulted my nostrils. Glancing frantically around me, I realised that I had no idea where to find Galadriel.

_Where are you?_ I whispered in my mind, hoping that she would be able to hear me. Within seconds, I saw a flash of light to my right.

Looking to the source, I saw her in between the row of tents, enveloped in a pale cloak that pooled at her feet and covered her face. She motioned for me to follow her, as she turned and walked into a tent close to her.

Despite the pain that still radiated from my stomach, I jogged towards the tent in which the Elf disappeared into.

When I entered, she stood with the hood removed from her face; I was stunned by the absolute divinity of her features once more. She was so incredibly beautiful.

I remembered that she could hear exactly what I was thinking, and proceeded to mumble an apology to her.

"Do not fret, Lady Amelia. Do you know why I am here?" I snapped my gaze towards her, a spark of hope burning a hole in my chest.

"You're here to save them, aren't you? You can heal them the way that you healed me in Rivendell!" I moved towards her and took her hand, attempting to pull her back towards Josh, Fili and Kili.

It was when she didn't move that I looked back to her quizzically.

"In a way, perhaps." She took my hand within hers, and knelt down to me. I was glad that she did, for I felt much more comfortable looking at her when she was my height. I was still confused, and I made sure she felt through my mind that I didn't understand. With a knowing smile, she continued.

"I cannot save your friends. I have seen into the future, and it is not my path to save Thorin Oakenshield, his nephews or your brother." I interrupted her, my mouth near gaping open at her words.

"Thorin's alive?" I breathed out, unbelieving that he could be. The image of him lying on the ground filled my mind, as she nodded her head deeply.

"He lives, but his life, as those of the other three, will end soon." All of a sudden my vision blurred, and I could barely make out a coherent sentence.

"What-why are you telling me t-this?" I broke out finally, and she gave my hand a squeeze.

"Because there is one that can save them, Lady Amelia. It has been their destiny all along in this quest for the Lonely Mountain."

I stared at her, waiting for her to tell me who it was. When she gave me a pointed look and a small smirk, I blanched.

"Uh, what? How the hell- you don't mean me? What am I- how am I?-" She cut me off, putting a hand to my cheek.

"You have long wondered why you were brought to this world, and it has finally become clear. Be warned, however, that this task will be the most difficult you have had to face in your life."

I barely thought of her warning, instead her previous words filling my mind.

_There was a way to save them._

"What do I need to do?" I whispered with determination. If there was a way to save them, I would do it. _Oh god_, I would do it.

"It involves the risk of losing the remaining members of the company whom you have found as your new family. For if you do not complete the task successfully, you will not return to see any of your friends again." I nodded fearfully, weighing up her words. I may never see Bilbo, or Ori, or the rest of the company again. But what would happen if I didn't do this?

"If I don't go, will the four die?" She searched my eyes for a moment before she nodded once more, and my mind was made up.

The realisation I had earlier that day had not been false; I didn't want to exist in a world without them. I would do anything to save them.

But _how?_

"What do I do?" I said evenly, pushing away my emotions once more. There they would stay, in the darkest corners of my soul, until I was ready to cope with them.

"You remember of the day we met?" I nodded, signalling for her to continue. "I told you of a way to travel back to your world, a way that only those dabbled in Old Magick can control." I nodded again, not understanding fully how that was relevant right now. Obviously, she heard my doubts and elaborated.

"When I met you and Master Joshua for the first time, I saw in your mind of the modern world you travelled from. I saw of its tragedies, the war and poverty. I also saw of the wondrous technology, and I marvelled at it. In particular, the medicine of your world is astounding in its advancement."

_Medicine.._

And then it clicked.

"You want me to go back to my world to get some medicine?" I exclaimed, absolutely astonished but completely in awe of the idea. How did I not realise this before?

"Yes. Going back will be the least difficult of the two tasks, though difficult nonetheless. It is coming back through to this world that will be the hardest for you, as I will not be able to bring you back into this realm from that side. It will be entirely up to you in being successful in coming back through to Middle Earth."

"How am I supposed to control getting back here?" I exclaimed nervously, this plan sounding like a worse idea the more she told me about it.

"I will send you back to your world, to the province in which you are most comfortable. Once you have acquired that which you feel we shall need, you must return to the forest where you first strayed and found yourself in Middle Earth.

"Old Magick takes hundreds of years to control and bend to your will. You, of course, do not have such a skill. However, this Magick allowed you access into Middle Earth once before. I believe that if you focus your mind completely on coming back to Erebor, to this moment, then the Magick will grant your travel back."

I gulped, trying to take in her words.

I had to go back to my old world.

I had to leave my new home, and if I didn't concentrate my damn mind enough, I would never see the company again, and my friends and brother would die.

Holy _fuck._

"Take these with you. You will need them to help conceal yourself and bring back what you need." I nodded, taking the large leather rucksack in my bloodstained hands and wrapping the dark green cloak around my shoulders.

"Are you sure that I can do this?" I whispered, my fear momentarily extinguishing the determination I had just felt.

"I believe in you, Lady Amelia." Her words echoed my mothers, as I recalled the dream-hallucination that I had in what felt like a lifetime ago.

That was all I needed.

"Alright. I'm ready."

"Would you like to say a farewell to your friends?" I almost smiled despite the circumstances.

"Why would I want to say goodbye? I'm coming back." She smiled back at me, and with no more words, she put her hands against my temples.

The world around me began to blur at the edges, until all I could see was the luminous face of Galadriel, and then all went dark.

* * *

><p><strong>HAHAHA you guys cracked me up with your reviews for last chapter! I was seriously considering uploading it way earlier just for the free chocolate! ;) Thank you so much for the comments, they made me melt with happiness despite the terrible ending of chapter 26! (Knowing Grace, Shadowsammy, Miriel Tolkien and Marina Oakenshield- I love you guys!)<strong>

**Well, you think that things are looking up for Amelia... I guess you will just have to wait til next chapter to see what happens ;)**

**I hope everyone is having a great weekend!**


	28. The Chimerical Lady Amelia

The first thing I felt when I became conscious once more was the soft ground beneath my cheek and palms, with the smell of damp earth assaulting all other senses.

My whole body ached, even more than it had from the physical exertion of trying to keep myself alive throughout that day. With weak arms and shaky legs, I rose to my feet and looked around.

It was dark, completely so. After several minutes, my eyes adjusted til I could only see the outline of trees that surrounded me. The dark forest sparked recognition in my memory, and I shuddered.

It was as though I had stepped back into my hallucination, but the noises that I heard made me certain that I was exactly where I needed to be.

I heard cars. Like, actual cars, the beeping of horns and the dull drone of engines.

The noise didn't reassure me, not one bit. It made me feel nervous and entirely uncomfortable in not only being here, but being by myself.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or laugh bitterly at the true realisation that my birth world was most definitely not _my _home anymore.

I felt like a foreigner; I didn't belong here at all.

Clutching the leather bag in my grip, I bit down on the loneliness and fear that washed over and threatened to drown me. I moved towards the sound of traffic, grasping the cloak close against my body as the cool breeze danced at my skin.

The sounds quickly came nearer, and I saw a dim orange glow grow until I could make out houses.

I knew exactly where I was; this was my neighbourhood where I had grown up; the same one which I had run from all those months ago.

My stomach churned nervously, and I wondered at length whether it would make it easier or harder in being back here.

I knew where I could get the medicine from, but I also knew that it was going to be more difficult to go in without drawing suspicion. The people here would recognise me, especially after Josh and I disappearing.

Looking down at myself, I realised that it wouldn't matter if they knew me or not; I was wearing medieval-type attire, completely covered in blood and various superficial wounds, and carrying two blades at my hips.

I might as well have covered myself in flashing neon lights and begun running through the streets screaming _'notice me!'_

Taking in a long breath, I slunk from the tree-line in which I was watching the suburban streets from. I thanked Galadriel for bringing me back at night; if I had been attempting this during the day, there would be no way I would be able to manage it.

I kept to the shadows, sneaking along the fences of perfect little houses that lined the streets. The lack of noise, beside the odd car here and there, pointed to it being quite late in the night.

There were families in these houses, people old and young alike that had no idea of what lay outside their homes at night. They lived in ignorance, unaware of what existed within their world and outside of it.

For a split-second, I was overwhelmingly envious of that blissful naivety; they would never know of the horror I had witnessed in my short life. Most would never know what it feels like to experience death in such terrible ways, to take someone else's life, or to be scared that the breath that you take may be the last one that ever passes your lips. They wouldn't know.

The moment passed though, as I thought about the other things that they wouldn't experience. The adventure, the incredible world that I had seen and felt beneath my feet and reached with the ends of my fingers. They would never feel the love of a Dwarf or the friendship of a Hobbit. They would never witness the power of a wizard or the timeless and untouchable beauty of an Elf. They would never know.

I would never swap places with them, despite what I had seen and irregardless of the precarity in which my friends' lives hung.

I had seen a world that people could only dream of; I had felt love and friendship that would make even the richest person envious.

Even though I was risking all of that by attempting something that would more than likely fail, I knew that it was those four that were dying back in Middle Earth that I wanted to share that life with. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that they had died because I had been too scared to do something to save their lives.

If I were to ever do this, it would be now.

Walking through the familiar though strangely alien streets, I crept my way towards the small medical clinic that served the neighbourhood I had grown up in. I remembered it from my childhood as I had taken Josh there occasionally; obviously our father was most of the time too far deep in a drunken stupor to notice when either of us had fallen ill. Therefore, it had been my responsibility to take my younger brother to the nice doctor who ran the clinic.

It was small, and I remembered it only being a woman who worked there. She had a daughter of her own I recalled, only a few years younger than Josh. We used to play with her, Emily I think her name was. We didn't have many childhood friends at all; most kids from school teased us for our old clothes and we were generally social outcasts.

Emily had been one of the few that didn't snub us because of our living conditions, though I remember Josh and I still being somewhat wary of her, almost as if she would one day begin to tease us as well.

I recalled memories of her and her mother as I walked around a corner and saw the clinic. It was still quite small, only the size of the other houses that stood nearby, but there was something different that I didn't quite remember.

It was still open.

_Shit_, I murmured shallowly. When had it been a twenty-four hour clinic?

My initial plan was to break in and grab what I needed, but obviously this wasn't going to work as I had initially hoped.

I walked within the shadows around the perimeter of the clinic, hoping to find some alternate way inside. When that idea was snuffed out, my only luck was found in the fact that there were no patients inside.

There was only one car in the parking lot at the front, and I waited for a long time to see if anyone was going to come out. The only person I saw was an older lady at a counter near the front of the glass door.

Drawing in a deep breath, I walked to the front door of the clinic.

I wasn't going to like what I was about to do.

Opening it up, I saw the woman look up from the counter behind black spectacles. She had a warm smile on her face, but as soon as she saw me she jumped up from her seat and scrambled around the counter towards me.

"Oh my lord, sweetie, what happened to you!" She went to reach for my arm, when she stopped dead in her tracks in realising what I was dressed in. Wide eyed, she looked back at my face, her confusion absolutely paramount.

"Dear, what is-what has happened?" She began to stutter, before there was a flash of something in her eyes.

"Do I.. Do I know you?" I didn't reply, looking at her much more thoroughly than I had before. Her blonde hair had begun to streak grey, and there were many wrinkles in places where there had not been before, but it was definitely her.

It was the woman who had always run the clinic, the mother of the girl Josh and I used to play with.

As I had been observing her, she had been doing the same to me. With a gasp and a complete look of shock to fill her face, I saw the moment that she realised who I was.

"Amelia? Amelia Cosgrove, is that you? Oh my, oh dear where have you been? What happened to you? We have been searching for months and months, with no sign of you and Josh! Oh, sweetie why are you covered in blood? We all thought.. We all thought you were dead! The police didn't hesitate in arresting your good for nothing father, but he would never tell where you or your brother was! He always claimed he had nothing to do with your disappearance, of course everyone knew that was ridiculous.."

Her rambling trailed off when I quirked my eyebrows at her in surprise, trying to absorb what she had just said.

Our father was in jail?

They thought that he was behind our disappearance?

I didn't know what to say in reply, but all thoughts on my father's arrest were put out of my mind as she moved back around the counter, speaking as she did so.

"I must call the detectives! They have been so wrapped in this case, oh how glad they will be to know you're alive!" My heart begun to race in my chest as she picked up the phone, and I quickly reached over the counter and put the phone back on the receiver before she could even press a button.

She looked at me in bewilderment, even more so when I moved around the counter towards her. I didn't want to do this, but I had no other choice. I had to save my friends.

I unsheathed my sword and outstretched it towards her; her eyes almost popped out of her head at the sudden movement, and she began to scramble backwards towards the wall.

"Amelia, what on earth are you doing? What is going on!" I stared back at her as she looked at me, completely dumbfounded and absolutely afraid.

"I need you to fill this up right now. I need bags of universal-type blood and nutrients, IV needles and tubes, bandages, alcohol, stiches, lots of antibiotic medicine and syringes." For the first time in my life, I felt overwhelmingly relieved that I had spent hours of my time watching medical shows instead of studying; it gave me at least a basic understanding of what I needed.

She looked at me in shock, before I spoke the words that I didn't want to utter; I didn't want to completely terrify her, but I needed to save my brother and my friends.

"How is your daughter going? Emily, right? She would be about fifteen now, would she not?" She was utterly confused, and only managed to nod her head slightly.

"If you don't do as I say right now, I will need to go and pay Emily a visit. Understand?" If she had looked scared before, it was nothing compared to the absolute terror that I witnessed in her whole body now. She nodded her head ardently, and I threw her the bag.

Her whole body shook as she made her way into the back of the clinic; it was a larger room with a small medical bed in one corner, but cabinets and cabinets full of glass bottles and equipment occupying the rest of the space. There was a small fridge out of view which she made for first, and grabbed out several blood bags and over half a dozen nutrient bags.

"W-why do you need this stuff?" She whispered, her voice quivering audibly as she continued to move to other shelves. I saw her put several bottles of what looked to be cleaning alcohol in the bag.

"I need the equipment to clean, stitch and bandage flesh wounds. I need to be able to clean them efficiently, and I need antibiotics to fight off bacterial infections of the wounds. I need the blood and nutrient bags to increase the blood count; they've lost too much blood."

She looked at me as if I had well and truly lost it.

"Who's lost too much blood?" She exclaimed, looking me over once more as if it were me that needed the medicine.

"It doesn't matter who, I just need you to help. If you don't, they will die. Do you get that? If you haven't given me the correct equipment, I will come back and find Emily. Do you understand?"

She nodded again, hesitantly this time though. As she continued, she asked questions regarding the wounds that were being treated, as well as other questions relating to our disappearance.

"Where have you been Amelia? Everyone has been searching for months, though.. Though we were looking for bodies.." I saw her stuff copious amounts of bandages, stitches, IV needles and tubes into the bag that was now threatening to overflow with the equipment.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I deadpanned, and watched intently as she searched through a cabinet full of small plastic and glass bottles.

"I need mostly antibiotics that I can administer with a syringe. They have serious flesh wounds, and if they don't get this they won't be able to break their fevers. Can you give me enough of what I need?"

She again nodded reluctantly, and begun to explain the antibiotic that she was filling the rest of the bag with.

"This is used to treat patients suffering deep cuts and gashes from infection. One vial is administered twice a day until the fever has broken." I nodded, and she passed me the bag that was now filled with everything I needed. She looked at me, still scared, but I softened my expression for just a second.

"Thank you," I whispered, before sheathing my blade and quickly running from the room, towards the front exit.

As soon as I pulled open the door to sprint away, I heard the woman begin hysterically crying on the phone.

_Shit._

I raced back through the side streets and alleys in which I had come down, holding the pack close to my chest as my whole body caught alight, the aching in my muscles now blazing in pain.

I had only gotten halfway back to the forest when I heard the sound of sirens blaring towards the neighbourhood at an incredible speed.

There was nothing I could do but run, and stick to the shadows as much as I possibly could.

It took double the time it previously had to get back to the tree-line. The sirens had stopped, but in the place of it, silent police cars drove slowly down the streets with their lights switched on. The red and blue shone all around me, and I feared that from the shadows I would be seen.

I had made it to the row of houses that sat opposite the forest; listening and looking intently for any sign of those who hunted me, I took in a deep breath and sprinted across the road and to the tree-line for safety.

My luck had obviously run out, because the shouts I heard froze me where I stood.

"Hey, you! Stop! Don't move an inch!" I stopped, slowly turning around to face the voices.

Two officers donned in navy blue had just emerged from a street a little down the road. I looked at them, their guns held up towards me, before I turned with as much speed as I could manage and bolted into the darkness of the trees.

I heard their shouts and curses before I realised that they were running after me. Light from their torches bounced off the trees around me, and I ran for my life.

Or rather, the lives of my family.

_Erebor, get me back to Erebor_. _Get me back to Josh and Fili_, I exclaimed in my mind. The shouts of the officers sounded close to me, but I couldn't let them distract me.

I had one chance at this, and I wasn't about to lose it.

_Erebor, please, get me back to Erebor. I have to get back to the Lonely Mountain, I need to. Fili, Kili, Thorin, Josh. Erebor, Erebor_, I continued to chant.

_Erebor, Josh, Fili._

I persisted to run, the police officers getting closer and closer to me.

_Kili, Thorin, Erebor._

But nothing happened.

I was still running through the same forest. I hadn't gotten to Erebor.

I wasn't able to get through.

Despite the fear gripping me into near paralysis from the realisation that it hadn't worked, I continued to run as fast as my legs would allow.

There was a sudden silence from behind me and I slowed, expecting the officers to have disappeared.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The officers had stopped, their guns trained on me as they looked down the barrels of their pistols.

My feet had continued to run as I saw what was happening, though the ground sloped suddenly from beneath my feet and I fell as I heard the fading shouts of the officers.

Tumbling downwards, I felt my arms and ribs crash against the earth that was intermittently punctuated with sharp rocks. They cut against the parts of my body uncovered from the mithril armour that I still wore underneath my cloak, and I cried out in pain from each blow I received.

Finally, my battered body met the bottom of whatever slope I had fallen from, my cheek connecting with force against a solid surface.

There was a blinding pain in my skull that didn't recede for a long time. I laid there until it did become a duller ache, but everything hurt.

I wasn't going to be able to continue like this, not for much longer.

Lifting myself heavily off of the ground, I picked up the rucksack and checked that the contents were alright, before I realised where I was.

I hadn't landed on the dirt of the forest; the ground was smooth stone.

_Oh my god._

I did it! I had travelled back to Erebor!

My eyes begun to water in happiness. I didn't know how I did it, but I had managed to get back.

A giddy bubble of laughter escaped my chest, though it was quickly stopped by a voice that called out from behind me.

I spun around, wondering who the hell could be in here. Everyone else had still been out on the battle field when I had left.

"Excuse me, but are you quite alright?" A man walked across the large hall towards me; he looked to be forty or fifty years old, with dark thinning hair. His lack of facial hair also slightly shocked me, as I had become so accustomed to the ridiculous hairiness of the Dwarves. The closer he came to me, the sooner I realised how much taller he was than me.

Suddenly I became terrified, a feeling of dread overcoming my senses. I stumbled backwards away from the strange man, reaching for the hilt of the blade at my left hip.

"Please, I mean you no harm! Who are you, and what are you doing here?" He exclaimed, looking me over with a curious glint in his eyes.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? Who are you?" The man frowned at me, and I began to look at him closer. He was clothed in what I would expect from Middle Earth, but he clutched a backpack that was definitely not from this world..

"Where am I?" I exclaimed, fear pressing down in my chest. He too looked at the bag that I was carrying, and a look of realisation crossed past his features.

"You are within Erebor, The Lonely Mountain, Last of the Great Dwarven Kingdoms." I sighed, relieved that I had at least gotten to the right place. But who was this random man who was in here? How did he get past the battle?

"I have no clue who you are, but I need to find my way back out to the battle field. I have medicine and I need to save my family," I spoke in a rush, suddenly aware that my time was running out. I had to get back out to them now.

"What battle?" The man question, his curiosity piquing. I just stared at him; what the hell was that supposed to mean?

"The battle, the one that just happened? Have you been living under a rock?" He continued to look at me with a mixed expression, so I continued to ramble in my anxiety.

"We just fought the Orcs and Goblins and Wargs? Look, I need to get out there now otherwise my brother Josh and Thorin and Fili and Kili will die." My voice broke as I spoke, the reality weighing down upon me as though I was going to be crushed under the pressure.

I began to walk past him, when he asked me another question which held me where I stood.

"Thorin Oakenshield? Joshua, your brother?" He turned to face me as I nodded quickly.

"Yes! Do you know where they are?" The man suddenly looked solemn, as he turned and nodded to an area on my right.

I looked towards the area which held his gaze, and half laughed in annoyance.

"I don't care about some dumb statues; I need to get back to them, alright? If I don't get there in time I won't be able to save them, so if you won't help me then I'll find my way out of here myself." He looked at me with sad, forlorn eyes as he walked over to the statues that I could see in the dim orange light of the hall.

I stood for a few moments, unsure of what to do. Truly, I didn't know how deep I was in the halls of Erebor, and this weird man may be my only exit from this place. Reluctantly I followed, trepidation growing in my mind. My instincts told me that something was very, very wrong and I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

As I moved closer, I finally reached the man. He had stopped before the four statues, which I realised had rectangular stone blocks in front of them.

I opened my mouth to question what the hell was going on, when I closed it again.

I had figured out what was happening deep down within my being, but I didn't want to know. I didn't want it to be true. He began to explain nonetheless, opening a small book he held in his hands to read from it.

"Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, fell in the Battle of Five Armies in the year 2941, and died of his wounds shortly afterwards. Fili and Kili, sons of Dis, nephews of Thorin, fell defending their Uncle's body. Both died of their wounds shortly afterwards.

"Joshua, unknown, was the only human to be buried within a Dwarven Kingdom. Despite his attempts to save the Line of Durin, he fell during battle, and died of his wounds shortly afterwards. Amelia, sister of Joshua, disappeared shortly after the battle was won. Her whereabouts remained unknown."

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

I stared into the stone faces of my brother, my one, Kili and Thorin, unbelieving and unwilling to believe.

"The year is currently 3149 of the Third Age, over two-hundred years since the great battle."

His words took an eternity to sink in, but when they did, I couldn't cope.

How did I get it so wrong? How did I end up being so close, yet so far away from where I needed to be?

I vaguely remembered what Galadriel had told Josh and I all those months ago.

_This does not mean that your world is running in synch with this one; as I said, it is unreliable. Any one individual not sufficiently experienced in the powers of the Old Magick could end up in a time that is a century, a millennia before or after their own time._

I didn't realise that I had fallen to my knees until the man too, with some difficulty, knelt beside me. No sobs escaped past my lips; no tears flowed from my eyes. There was just nothing left to give.

"They're dead." I said evenly. Despite the statement, the man nodded his head from beside me.

"Galadriel.. Galadriel believed in me. My mum believed in me, but I failed. They're dead." My voice broke and I dropped my head to the ground below me. Finally, my chest begun to heave with the sobs that left my body.

I was in physical pain.

There was nothing left for me. All of my friends were dead. My family was dead. I was alone, and I had no one.

I had never wished for death in my life, yet that day it had become commonplace.

I wanted nothing more than to just die, so that I didn't have to feel the absolute agony that I was in.

I couldn't do it.

A hand touched my shoulder lightly, though I took no notice until the voice spoke once more.

"You spoke of Galadriel?" A strangled cry escaped my lips before I could respond.

"She sent me back.. Back to my w-world.. I got medicine to save them, she sent me to save them.."

"Your world? You're from Earth?" I snapped my head upwards to look at him, feeling anger beginning to replace the grief.

"How the hell would you know that?" I snapped at him, and he looked down at the ground below us before speaking.

"That is my home also." I frowned at his words, then remembered the odd backpack he held. It wasn't modern, but it wasn't made from fabrics I had seen in Middle Earth.

"Good for you," I cried, opening my palms and firmly planting my face there.

I didn't want to look at him, and I didn't want to look at the statues of my dead family.

My inability to do something right had ended up in the four people closest to me dying, and me being stuck alone, without any one I had begun to trust and love.

"There are not many with the ability to use Old Magick, yet it allowed you access to this world. Why?" I shook my head, wondering the exact same thing myself.

Wait..

"How do you know about Old Magick?" I gasped, snapping my vision upwards to look at him. He gazed at me, searching my eyes, before a small smile graced his lips.

"I learnt many things about this magic from an old friend, one that both you and I share." I frowned at him, until I realised.

Galadriel.

"You.. You can travel between realms?" He nodded slightly, the smile still not leaving his face.

"Yes. I was about to leave this world for the last time, when I stumbled across you. I have been wandering between Middle Earth and Earth for many years now, learning, researching, writing. It has been a wonderful journey, though I have one last adventure left back home." I frowned at him, unsure if I understood most of what he was saying. He gave me a few moments to absorb the information, before he spoke again.

"Galadriel must have very good reasons for using Old Magick to send someone through realms. She did not approve of my travelling, yet she tolerated it and still continued to uphold our close friendship. I suppose, if there is one last favour I can do for her.."

He glanced at me, his searching eyes looking deep within my being once more. With a small nod to himself more than to me, he moved to his feet, helping me with him.

"It was a pleasure to meet the chimerical Lady Amelia. Send my regards to the Lady Galadriel. I suppose she will be seeing me once again, however I will not meet her another day. Hold your bag tightly, and relax."

He held my hands within his own, and before I realised what was happening, the edge of my vision began to blur in gold and greens.

"Wait!" I gasped, not satisfied with his cryptic riddles. "Who are you?"

The room began to fade, until the last thing I saw was his face, still smiling with not only his lips but with his eyes as well.

"My name is John Tolki-"

And I was unconscious once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Eeeeeee and finally the ideas I had bubbling around my mind months ago have been written! Please, please review and let me know what you think! I have just always loved the idea that perhaps Tolkien was more than just human, and I have always wished that Middle Earth is something more than just fiction (as most of us would like to believe I think!). <strong>

**I hope this chapter was enjoyable! I re-edited it many times to make sure that I had formed into words exactly what I imagined in my mind. It was only a last minute idea to add that Amelia ended up at their graves (originally she was just going to end up in a random hall in Erebor), but I think it adds a lot more to the story the way I have created it.**

**Thanks again to my reviewers (Miriel Tolkien and Marina Oakenshield)! I would really love to hear what you guys think about the story now that I am at the tail end of it :)**

**Have a great day!**


	29. Death and Resurrection

I awoke, for what felt like the hundredth time, in a daze and feeling immensely sick.

Without opening my eyes, I attempted to discern my surroundings. I could feel hard ground beneath me, though in grasping around with my fingertips, I knew that it was dirt instead of stone carved floor.

A freezing breeze lashed against my cheeks and I could smell the scent of smoke and burning.

Finally opening my eyes, I lifted myself off of the ground. My body was completely and utterly exhausted, without even mentioning how I felt emotionally.

There was just too much to attempt to sieve through, so I did what I seemed to do quite often of late.

I buried it all somewhere deep and out of thought, in the darkest pit of my mind and soul.

To my utter relief, the scene before me was what I needed to see in an attempt to gather my waning strength and remaining determination.

There was only a little light left; darkness of night had already begun to fall upon the tents that I could only just make out, and balls of orange light dotted the land before me.

I had awoken at the foot of Erebor, close to the edge of the hundreds of tents that were still set there.

By the smoke that filled my nostrils, I realised that the battle must have only finished several hours ago.

_Well, I hoped._

I jogged towards the orange lights that moved between the rows of tents, unable to move myself any faster.

Pain shot throughout my entire body, and I had to fight to keep going. It took longer than I liked to finally find myself amongst the tents, and I made my way past many people before I came to the area in which I vaguely remembered being with Galadriel.

Each person I had passed looked injured in one way or another; with some it was physical, others it was emotional, but for most it seemed a mixture of the two. There were Dwarves, Men and Elves alike, their bodies covered in filth and their expressions laced with grief and mourning.

Moving faster now, I opened tent after tent to try and find the one where I needed to be.

There were beds made up in each, with conscious and unconscious bodies lying on them. I could hear moaning and sobbing, punctuated with an occasional shrill wail of pain.

It was _horrifying._

Opening yet another tent, I almost fell to the ground when someone ran into me with force. Regaining my balance and looking at the offender, I screeched in joy when I realised who it was.

"Bilbo!" I crushed him in a fierce hug, so much so that he had to tap me hard on the shoulder in a bid for me to release my grip slightly.

"Oh fuck, Bilbo, I'm so glad you're okay!" I began to cry once more, when I realised that Bilbo's cheeks were stained with his own tears.

"What's wrong?" I asked him warily, and I looked behind him to see a single bed laying in the middle of the room. Atop it laid Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain.

"He is gone," Bilbo choked out, as I looked to the figures surrounding the bed. Gandalf, Bard, Oin, Dwalin, Balin and a dwarf that I didn't recognise stood close by, their heads turned to face the ground. Their faces didn't need to be shown to me to see the grief in their expressions; I could see it in their bodies, and felt it in the air.

I didn't know if they noticed me initially, but when I limped forward, determination sparking within my heart, they did.

I hadn't gone through everything I had within the past day for Thorin to die seconds before I got to him.

He wasn't going that easily, and I was too stubborn to let the grumpy and selfish Dwarf leave his nephews and the company, after all that had happened.

"Move." I yelled out, pushing Dwalin and Bard away from Thorin.

"Miss Amelia, what are you doing? Where have you been?" Oin cried out, echoed by the exclamations of confusion from the others.

I held down the sickening feeling in my stomach at the sight of the jagged and bloody gash that ran down Thorin's chest as I threw my rucksack, cloak and blades to the ground next to me.

"You're not dying that easily," I exclaimed, eyes trained on Thorin's face.

Without any hesitation, I clambered up onto the bed where he lay, straddling his battered body and placing my entwined hands on Thorin's chest.

The others cried out in outrage and confusion; I felt the arms of someone on my shoulders, attempting to drag me away from their leader. I snapped around to face the Dwarf that I didn't recognise, shouting as I did so.

"Let me go, you idiot! I'm saving his life!" The rage within my voice must have been enough, because he let me go as if I had physically burned him. I turned back around and begun the procedure that I had only watched repeatedly on television shows.

God help me.

With one hand atop the other, and that palm flat against Thorin's wounded chest, I started CPR.

_One, two, three, four, five._

Clasping his nose shut and opening his jaw with my hands, I breathed into his mouth, filling it with the oxygen from my own lungs.

I heard the shouts from behind me, but I ignored them.

_One, two, three, four, five._

Lips against his, the oxygen escaped my lungs and passed into his.

_One, two, three, four, five._

I continued for several minutes, each second passing by causing more and more outrage from the companions watching close by.

_One, two, three, four, five._

Suddenly, there was a choking noise that sounded from beneath me, and Thorin's chest began to move ever so slightly.

Shocked gasps came from everyone, and I stared in disbelief for a few seconds before I realised what I had done.

_What. The. Fuck._

Had I really just saved his life?

The moment passed quickly, as I remembered that I hadn't saved him, not yet. Thorin wasn't out of this by a long shot.

I jumped back off of the bed, and began to search through the rucksack for the equipment I needed while shouting orders to those who surrounded me.

"Dwalin, get me some more cloths and a heap of hot water. Bilbo, I need a large stick-" he looked at me in confusion as I continued, "-yeah, it makes no sense now but it will soon. Bring me back four, quickly!"

Grabbing one of the nutrient bags, I attached it to the IV tube and needle. I realised quickly that I had no idea how to use an IV properly, so I began to play around with the several coloured plastic buttons. Within a few moments, I had managed to flip the right piece of plastic to allow the nutrients to begin flowing from the bag and slowly drip from the needle.

Flipping it back so that it would stop, I stood up again and moved to Thorin's arm.

"Oin, get me a piece of cloth so that I can tie it around Thorin's forearm- yes, yes that will do." I took the material he had ripped from his own clothing, and tied it around Thorin's bicep tightly so as to find the vein in his hand.

I ripped his long sleeved tunic, baring it past his elbow so that I could see the vein that had begun to present itself on the back of his hand.

There I stood, with the needle in my hand, as reality set in.

What the fuck was I doing?

Watching fucking Grey's Anatomy wasn't going to help me do this!

I almost backed out from what I was about to do.

I almost stopped my attempts to save him, when I realised that no one would be able to.

This was what I needed to do, because if I didn't, he would die.

Taking the needle in my shaky hands, I called for Oin.

"I need you to hold his hand steady," I said. Oin moved to my side, before he spoke fearfully.

"What is this magic? What are you doing to him?" I looked at Oin, his hard gaze focused on the needle between my hands.

"I need you to trust me. I'll explain later, but right now we need to save him. Okay?" I looked Oin in the eyes, my desperation all too evident in my voice. There was a moment of hesitation, but he finally nodded.

He held Thorin's hand as I anxiously pierced the vein there with the needle. I didn't realise I had been holding my breath until the needle slid easily in; I pressed the piece of plastic and then held the IV bag above my head to see the liquid begin to leave the bag, drip by drip, moving down the tube.

I nodded to myself, and looked around to see if Bilbo had come back with a large stick yet. My gaze fell on Gandalf, who was watching me with curiosity, before I saw the staff at his side.

"Gandalf, I need your staff right now." He furrowed his brow but followed my words nonetheless, bringing his weapon to me.

I dug it with force into the ground near the head of Thorin's bed, much to the wizard's dismay; once it stood in place, I hooked the IV bag to the head of the staff.

Sighing a small breath of relief, I grabbed the alcohol from my bag and continued to work.

Dwalin had soon returned with the cloths and buckets of hot water, and I used the combination of the three to clean Thorin's wound clear of all dirt and blood.

The sight was horrendous, and while I had help from Oin, doing such a task made me violently ill. At one stage I had to step out of the tent in a rush, throwing up what little contents my stomach had held all over the ground.

It took me seconds to compose myself once more, because I knew time was running out.

Putting my health at the far bottom of my priorities, I moved back in and continued to work with Oin.

The wound, once cleaned, exposed some of the bones of Thorin's ribcage; luckily, the gash didn't extend all the way to his stomach, but his chest was messed up. I hoped that there were no bones broken, but we couldn't be sure.

With the equipment I had brought back, Oin stitched up the wound as best as he could. It was still incredibly disgusting and hard to look at, but it had been cleaned and patched up as effectively as possible.

Using the same cloth Oin had given me, I tied it around the opposite arm and took a syringe and antibiotic vial from the bag. Drawing the liquid into the needle, I quickly moved to inject it into the vein protruding from Thorin's inner elbow.

Despite successfully inserting the needle the first time, I was still just as terrified the second time round. My heart beat didn't return to normal, not even when I had effectively injected the medicine and removed the syringe.

I cleaned the rest of Thorin's superficial wounds as Oin finished stitching up his chest. Checking the nutrient bag, I was glad to see that a quarter of it had already drained into Thorin's body.

I desperately hoped that our actions would be enough.

As Oin continued, I collected the bag and its belongings, moving to leave the tent so as to help Josh, Fili and Kili. Dwalin moved with me to show me where they were. It was only a short distance, though as we walked, I asked him the question that I had been dreading to know the answer to.

"Where are.. Where are the rest of the company?" Dwalin gave me a sidelong glance, before replying. He sounded so tired, and so old.

"The company are fine, their wounds only minor compared to the four you already know of. Ori injured his leg while trying to escape the attack of a Warg, though only a sprain. The others have many cuts and bruises, not life-threatening."

I hummed, taking in the information with a hard stare at the tent we had begun to enter.

I tried not to be affected by the sight, but it felt as though I was seeing it for the first time.

Frozen in my tracks, Dwalin placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Lass, if what you did to Thorin is anything to judge by, you should not fret about these three. You can heal them." I nodded, suddenly unsure of myself.

"Will you help me?" I whispered, needing someone there with me through this. Who knew it would be Dwalin of all people, who I was turning to.

"Aye, lass." He murmured in his deep voice. Without any further hesitation, we started our attempts to pull our friends and family back from death.

I couldn't count how many hours had passed while we worked; all I did know, is that by the last time I needed to run from the tent in order to throw up, the sun was beginning to dance over the horizon.

Dwalin and I had worked all night without any rest besides a moments drink of the water that was brought to us. Bilbo had returned soon after we had begun, with three large sticks in which we attached the nutrient bags to.

I had contemplated the use of the blood bags, and only decided to use them on Josh. There were many episodes that I remembered watching, in which the wrong blood type would result in a bad reaction from the body; I knew Josh would be compatible with the universal blood type, but I was hesitant about using them for the Dwarves. It was too risky.

Instead, we hooked Fili and Kili up to the nutrient bags in an attempt to hydrate their bodies enough to begin producing more blood on their own accord.

We removed the bandages that we had wrapped earlier, re-cleaned their wounds with the alcohol, and then stitched their wounds. It was dreadful, and it was the main cause of my sickness in seeing the open flesh in such a way.

Kili's face was the worst. I had felt light headed while stitching the gash that ran across his cheek, and if not for Bilbo at my side encouraging me to continue and finish, I would have never managed it.

By the time I had gotten back to Middle Earth, all three of them had come down with fevers. We administered their antibiotics, and after covering their battered bodies in blankets, all we could do was wait.

I sat by their sides well after we had finished as much as we could. Bilbo and Dwalin had urged me to leave the tent for food and rest, though I refused.

I wasn't going to leave them when there was still the high likeliness that they would die. All three were battling their fevers, and I flitted from one to the other to the next, using a damp cloth to wipe the sweat from their foreheads and check their dressings.

It had only been a few hours since we had initially changed the bandages, but I found myself unwrapping and redressing with fresh bandages. I needed to make sure the wounds weren't going to infect and fester, so I become meticulous and stubborn in my attention to them.

Oin had come in soon after Dwalin and Bilbo reluctantly left my side; I felt as though they had purposely gotten him to come and see me.

He attempted to force me to leave the tent, but I refused adamantly once more. In the end, he conceded and only asked if he could clean my wounds.

I had almost forgotten about the multitude of scratches, cuts, bruises and wounds I had acquired through the past twenty-four hours. I had most definitely forgotten the mithril armour that I was still endowed, though I removed it quickly when I realised.

Oin had left to gather some more hot water, while I watched the shallow rising of the three chests lying nearby.

Whenever a spark of hope would alight within my chest, I crushed it instantly.

I had seen the future, and I knew what was meant to happen.

I wasn't going to rely on my abilities or lack thereof, to save them.

Their lives were still dangling precariously over the edge, and there was nothing to indicate to me that they wouldn't fall down into the dark abyss to where I couldn't follow.

Oin came back soon after he left, much to my relief. He had with him a large wooden type basin full of steaming water, and a bundle of clothes folded under his arms.

Much like the healer he was, he ordered me to sit down at the foot of a spare bed that I hadn't realised was there.

I removed my cloak and rolled up the sleeves of my tunic to expose the bloody and bruised flesh there. With swift hands, he washed the filth from my arms, face and neck, then cleaned it with some alcohol. I winced at stinging pain of the chemical against my skin, though didn't speak until Oin did.

"Amelia.. Where did you get this odd equipment and medicine from?" He looked at me with a concerned look on his face, and I sighed. I didn't have the patience to explain my whole back story to him right now. As if he understood what I was thinking, he spoke again.

"Thorin had told the company about where Josh and yourself hail from, lass. He told those of us that did not already know while we were still in Lake Town. The only conclusion I can gather is that you collected this foreign medicine from your realm, though I do not understand how you travelled back there."

I sighed deeply, before speaking again.

"Galadriel sent me back. You guys really need to give more credit to the Elves. I know the ones from Mirkwood are dicks and all, but Galadriel sent me back so that I could try and save these four. I only hope that what I've done is enough." I exhaled again, feeling only a memory of what it felt like to be relaxed as he moved the warm cloth across my cheeks.

He looked at me with a sad expression, something that seemed completely hopeless.

"Only time will tell. If their fevers break, there will be some hope. Not one of them has regained consciousness, and each are badly wounded. However, your medicine has prolonged their lives; I had feared that they would not make it through the night, and the life had left Thorin's body before you brought him back."

I closed my eyes and sighed, willing away the tears that had begun to prick at my eyes.

I didn't want to believe that all we had done was in vain. I just wanted them to wake up.

"Who was the Dwarf that was in there with Thorin earlier?" I questioned in an attempt to stop my mind wandering to the darkening thoughts that continued to plague my entire being.

"That was Dain from the Iron Hills." I frowned as I recognised the name more than from the past few days. I had heard it previously before, a while ago now.

"Is that the Dwarf that initially didn't want to help you take Erebor back?" Soundlessly, he nodded deeply with a frown on his face.

I didn't speak again, not until Oin had finished cleaning and dressing my wounds. He had put an ointment that smelt vaguely of mint across the cuts that I felt on my neck and face, as well as on the scratches that covered most of my arms.

Much to my embarrassment, he had looked over the wound to my belly as well, applying it with the salve and bandaging my whole stomach. It was swollen and bruised almost completely, and I couldn't help but gasp at the sight of my own body being wounded in such a way.

I looked horrendous, and felt worse.

"You must eat and rest, Amelia. Change into fresh clothes. There is nothing we can do but wait."

Oin looked at me worriedly as I stood quickly and took the clothes from the bed beside me.

"I'm going to change into these now; can you make sure no one comes inside?" He nodded and swiftly left me alone in the tent.

My body felt stiff and ached more than it ever had in my life. More than after I had been hit by my father; more than when I had suffered a dagger to my shoulder, and more than dealing with the spiders and Elves in Mirkwood.

I wasn't going to leave their sides though. The possibility that I may fall asleep and wake with one of them no longer existing was enough to keep my failing body functioning. It kept me fighting the fatigue that was luring me into unconsciousness.

After removing the clothes that had dried solid with the copious amounts of blood that had soaked into them, I begun to move into the new, clean tunic and slacks that Oin had provided.

My entire body was covered in black, purple and red, so I hastily threw the new clothes on in a bid to remove the sight from my view.

It made me feel physically sick to see my body like that.

I quickly left the tent and told Oin that I was going to check on Thorin; he grumbled about my stubbornness, but I didn't change my mind.

We entered and found that Thorin's nutrient bag had been exhausted. It took little time to change it, hook up a new one and inject him with another vial of antibiotics, and we just watched as his chest rose and fell shallowly. Other than the slight movement there, the rest of his body was completely still.

Finally conceding within my mind that there was nothing I could do to help the four at the current moment, I decided to try and focus some of my attention on the rest of the company.

"Oin, we should probably help clean up the rest of the lads." He nodded in agreement, though still unhappy that I wasn't taking care of myself.

"I'll go and look through the bag to make sure we have enough equipment, if you go and bring them over." With that, I moved back to the tent that held the three beings that were grasping onto life by just a narrow thread.

Sprawling the contents of the bag across the bed, I realised that we had used more bandages and stitches than I had thought; there was still plenty there, but I only wished I had more so I didn't have to worry about running out before I could help everyone I needed to.

Before they came into the tent, I was able to inject Fili, Kili and Josh with another dose of antibiotics, and change Josh's blood bag with a new one.

It was Ori and Bilbo that came in first; I hadn't even realised beforehand how many cuts they had themselves seemed to have acquired, and I set about cleaning their wounds. I was in the process of bandaging Ori's sprained ankle, when two people entered the tent from beside me.

I looked up to see Bard with an arm hung in a makeshift sling, with a worried Sigrid at his side.

Moving quickly from where I was kneeling, I walked over to the two. Sigrid's eyes were focused on my brother who was lying unconscious before her, and I could see the tears begin to well in her vision.

She tore her gaze away from him only to near launch herself into my arms, a slight sob escaping her lips. Watching Bard's dejected expression, I slowly moved my arms around the young girl.

More than she felt herself, I understood and knew exactly what emotions were weighing her down. Josh and she had become extremely close in Lake Town and I had seen how they looked at each other. Now she was seeing him, bridging the line between death and life, and it was more than heart-breaking.

I understood, because I had four of the closest people to me that were in the same position.

She let go of me after a long time, and moved to Josh's side. Glancing back at Bard, I eyed off the arm that he cradled against his chest, his sleeve covered in red that had since dried.

"Has anyone cleaned your arm yet?" I asked quickly, moving to his side to look at the wound.

"No. I have been much too busy to tend to a small injury."

"An injury that can get infected quickly. Ori, Bilbo, nudge over; sit down Bard and I'll dress the wound."

The tall human obeyed my words reluctantly, and sat next to the Hobbit and the Dwarf on the bed on the far left of the tent.

It was midday according to Bard; he spoke of what the combined efforts of the Elves, Men and Dwarves were attempting to do out on the battle field. Most of the injured had been moved to the tents to be treated for their wounds; there were many more that had died though, and it was taking most of their efforts to move their dead to the appropriate places.

Dain had led the transport of Dwarven casualties into the halls of Erebor for a traditional Dwarven burial. The Elves had begun to take their dead back to Mirkwood, and the Men had started to build a traditional funeral pyre to farewell their dead that evening.

While Oin, Dwalin, Bilbo and I had been busy working through the night, Bard and the others had been busy destroying the corpses of the Wargs, Orcs and Goblins. They had piled the bodies and set them alight; the thought of it made me suddenly light headed, as I finished cleaning and begun to stitch the deep gash across Bard's arm.

"Amelia?" I looked up to Bard, raising my eyebrows at him questioningly.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for your actions yesterday. You saved my life, and I am in your debt for your bravery." I shrugged at his words, attempting to keep hold of my fading consciousness as I finished stitching his wound.

_Almost finished.._

"Some would call it stupidity, not bravery. Besides, you saved my life like five seconds later." I smiled at him, though I could feel that it didn't reach my eyes. I quickly finished stitching the wound, and I had only just tightened a bandage around his bicep when my vision began to blur significantly.

I stood up suddenly in an attempt to compose myself, but stumbled backwards.

"Amelia!" I heard Bilbo and Ori cry out simultaneously, and the last thing I remembered seeing was the world tilt before my eyes, as I hit the ground with force.

* * *

><p>I awoke from a nightmare brimming with death and gore, with no one there to comfort me. My body still ached, but the pain was not as intense as I had remembered it being.<p>

My mind dreaded how long I had been asleep for; I recalled collapsing, and it didn't surprise me in the slightest. I was fatigued, starving, dehydrated and injured. I was lucky to have stayed awake for as long as I had.

Sitting upright, I found a small bowl of water that had been left by my bed; grateful to whoever had thought about such a thing, I drank the liquid down within seconds, before my eyes roamed to the tent I was under.

I had been lying in the spare bed, and found the three others still occupied with Fili, Josh and Kili. Their faces were lit by several orange lamps that were placed on the ground, and I figured it had become dark outside.

Praying that I hadn't been asleep for long, I moved from the bed to stay by the three that I shared the tent with.

I _wouldn't_ let them leave me. I _couldn't._

Despite the dull physical pain and roaring emotional turmoil that I plagued me, I didn't leave their sides for the rest of that night.

* * *

><p>Four days had passed since I had woken up from collapsing; I found out later that I had only slept for that afternoon, as my unconscious was afflicted by the shadow left in my mind from the battle.<p>

I had refused to sleep since then, because I feared what I saw in those nightmares.

During the first two days, our anxiety for the four deepened. Their fevers hadn't broken, despite the constant cleaning of wounds, changing of dressings and IV bags, and injection of antibiotics.

It had been two days of torture. After waking, I had gathered the other company members who I hadn't seen yet.

Balin, Nori, Gloin, Dori, Bofur, Bombur and Bifur came to me the morning after I woke. My reaction at seeing their faces once more completely overwhelmed them, more so because their broken hearts rested with their injured King and their forlorn gazes lingered on Fili, Kili and Josh who still lay unconscious in the tent. There was little celebration amongst them.

Despite my relief that they were alright, I was still incredibly angry at them. They had taken away my right to choose what I wanted to do, and I may not have woken in time to try and save my brother. After letting them know how happy I was of their wellbeing, I led a full-scale tirade towards each of them. They needed to know exactly how I felt about them drugging me unconscious; I knew they were trying to protect me, but it wasn't their right to do what they had done, especially seeing where it landed my brother.

They hadn't argued with me, though I could see in each of their eyes that they would have done the same if faced with the choice again. The over-protection of their women was noble, albeit slightly frustrating and incredibly infuriating.

Dwalin was right; not one of them had gotten away uninjured, though they were only superficial wounds. While Oin was constantly at Thorin's side, I cleaned up the rest of the company, stitching and bandaging their wounds.

It hadn't taken long, but it at least occupied me for most of that day. Their presence was distraction enough, though I constantly noticed them looking over at Fili, Kili and Josh with miserable looks on their faces.

They had tried to convince me to leave the tent and join them where they were camped together. I stubbornly refused, moving back to Josh's side as I heard them shuffle out of the tent with worried murmurs and audible concern.

It was the third day that I had been conscious and still without sleep, when their fevers broke. I had been keeping a close eye on each of them, though I went to collect some water from a small river close by for a short while.

When I returned, Fili's fever had disappeared. It followed soon by Josh, and then by Kili.

I had run to Thorin's tent to tell Oin, for the first time in days allowing myself to hope. The excitement gave me a surge of energy that I so dearly needed, and even Oin couldn't contain the infinitesimal smile that played at his lips.

He had gone to check on them, confirming that they had in fact beaten their fevers, and for the moment any risk of infection was low.

Despite their improvement, they still hadn't woken and that continued to worry me. Why weren't they conscious yet?

On the forth day, Sigrid had returned. I thought that she was going to stay beside Josh for the day, but instead she came to me.

"Lady Amelia, is there anything that I can help with? My father tried to keep me away from all those who are injured, but I want to help." I was surprised at her determination and her willingness to chip in, but I was grateful. Because there wasn't anything we could do with Josh, Fili and Kili, we took a small amount of the remaining equipment to help the Men, Dwarves and Elves that were still inflicted with wounds.

I had left most of the medicine in the tent though, as I wanted to make sure that the four that were still unconscious had enough in case they started to deteriorate again.

Most of what Sigrid and I needed to do was clean, stitch and bandage wounds; she had a much tougher resistance to what we were doing that I did, and I found a high degree of respect for her as we moved from tent to tent, hoping to help whoever we could.

The Elves were proud, the Dwarves stubborn, and the Men wary, but they allowed us to help them nonetheless.

After the entire day continuing like this, I decided that I needed to go back. Being away from them made me anxious and incredibly stressed; I had told Sigrid as much, and she came back with me.

We had stayed in their tent, sitting on the bed and talked for the rest of the afternoon. I had asked her about Ildur and Cersa, and she said that they were fine. She also spoke about her younger brother and sister, telling me about how they had wanted to help as well but her father wouldn't allow it. He was scared for all three of them, because their mother had died several years ago and he was the only one they had.

I understood completely.

Bombur had come in later into the evening with two bowls of warm stew; I was thankful for him looking after us, but I could only manage to eat a few mouthfuls. The anxiety seeped from every pore on my body, and I couldn't even force myself to eat very much.

Sigrid had left soon after to find her father, and I was alone with Josh, Fili and Kili.

I stayed with them for the rest of the night, talking to their unconscious bodies, changing their IV bags and covering them in the blankets that had been brought down from Erebor.

It must have been the early hours of the morning, when I pulled my bed to sit in between Josh's and Fili's beds. I still didn't sleep, because I couldn't. The fear of delving into my own mind and leaving reality scared me more than anything; I didn't want to wake and find that one of those closest to me had died. I couldn't let that happen.

I sat on the edge of my bed, leant over with my elbows resting on Fili's bed. Despite some of the colour returning to his cheeks, he still looked incredibly pale. His blonde hair fell around face and sprawled the bed that he lay on. Taking his hand from underneath the blanket, I held onto him as I rested my head on the bed.

Involuntarily, I began to sing. The melody was one that I had known from our old world, one which I had forgotten my love for until that moment.

I didn't know why I did such a thing. I knew I was a terrible singer, though I felt some comfort in it. I only wished that it were Fili singing to me as he sometimes did, as opposed to my shaky voice attempting to sing the words that I knew so well.

_If my eyes are the oceans  
>that put your head in the clouds,<br>Then your heart is the reason  
>I keep my feet on the ground.<em>

_I've just watched the world turning,  
>kept my head held up high,<br>Kept my feet on the ground,  
>kept the hope in my eyes.<em>

I sighed as I finished the last verse, realising that my emotions betrayed the words that I sung. My hope faltered each day, and I didn't have the strength to keep going.

My emotional tumult was beginning to crawl and grasp out of the dark place of my mind where I had attempted to lock it. There was just so much that I had gone through in the past few days that I didn't know how to handle by myself.

All of the death that I had seen and the death I had inflicted.

The sight of the people closest to me being struck down and believing them to be dead.

Travelling back to my world, threatening an innocent woman and finding out my father had been arrested with our disappearance.

Ending up in the future and trying to deal with their deaths all over again, then meeting that strange man who brought me back.

Resuscitating Thorin and attempting to save the lives of Josh, Fili and Kili.

It was too much for _anyone_ to have to deal with.

"That is not a song that I have heard before." I snapped my head up from the bed, unbelieving of what I had just heard.

Looking back at me, were the sky-blue eyes of the Dwarf that I had grown to love.

"Fili!" I exclaimed, jumping from the bed. A small smirk played at his lips, and I moved my hands to his cheeks in an attempt to make sure that this was real. _That this wasn't a dream._

"Oh my god, Fili," I continued to cry, tears pouring down my cheeks within a matter of seconds. Torturous thoughts forgotten, my whole being swelled with the elation and joy of him being awake. He was conscious, oh my god. _He was awake._

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" I sobbed, a half-strangled laughter escaping my lips. He lifted his uninjured arm and moved his hand to my face, cupping my cheek. I let out another laugh through my tears, everything within my body exploding with happiness and relief. I felt as though I wouldn't be able to cope with the turmoil that had been brewing within myself only seconds earlier, but this new found euphoria was much more overwhelming and completely overpowering.

"Do what?" He replied with a smirk and mirth in his eyes, despite his voice being raspy and weak. I could have hit him for being such an idiot, if not for the wounds that he already had.

His eyes roamed my face as though he hadn't seen me for a lifetime; it seemed as though it had been that long since the last time_ I_ had seen _him_ awake and conscious.

"What happened to you, _delva_.. You look like you have been hurt.." His eyes went wide the second that I remembered that he hadn't known I was in the battle. He had fallen before he had realised I was there.

"Amelia!" He exclaimed; his voice beginning to rise as he looked at me with anger and fear. When I didn't answer him, he tried to sit upright.

"Don't move, you idiot! You'll tear your wounds back open!" I pushed against his chest, and I must have put more force than I realised on his injuries because he winced and fell back against the bed, still looking at me as though _I_ had betrayed him.

"Fili, son of Dis, you stubborn bastard. You do not get to decide what I can and cannot do. I woke up and joined the battle, because there was no way I was going to let all of you go without helping. It's not up to you what I do with my life; it's _my _choice." His expression softened, the anger melting away as his eyes began to water.

"We could have.. I could have lost you.." I frowned at him and let the fear and despair sink into my own expression; he had to know just how much I was affected by his own attempt to protect me.

"And _I_ almost lost you, Fili. If I didn't wake up sooner, I would have been left without a brother, a leader, a friend and the one stupid Dwarf that I love. You don't understand how hard it was to begin mourning four of the closest people to me in one day." My voice had been angry, but it broke by the end of my outburst.

He looked at me, wide-eyed with horror as he realised what I was saying to him.

"Who.. Josh? Kili? Thorin, oh Mahal, Amelia, please do not tell me they have gone to the halls of my forefathers, please.." I shook my head quickly to try and reassure him.

"They are all alive for the moment. We almost lost all of you.. We did lose Thorin for a few minutes, before we managed to bring him back. You're the first to wake up."

He turned his head to the left to see Kili laying there, and a broken sob left his chest.

"Kili," he whispered quietly, before his head snapped towards the IV that his brother was hooked up to.

"What in Durin's name is that?" He sounded terrified, and I had to try and calm him down. The last time I had seen him just so scared was when his sleep were plagued with nightmares of Kili's death.

I had forgotten about Fili's nightmares until that moment, and the breath caught in my throat. My mind had begun to swim until I remembered Fili was still freaking out in front of me.

"It's medicine, Fili. I.. I brought it back from my world.." He turned back to me, confusion lacing his entire expression.

"Um.. I'll explain later, but right now you need to rest. Let me grab some water for you." Quickly I brought a smaller cup of water to his side, and helped him sit up so as to drink from it.

The little physical exertion had him completely exhausted though. As soon as he laid back on the bed, his eyes begun to drop shut despite his desperate attempts to stay awake.

"Amelia.." He whispered, his blue eyes shining as he tried to keep sleep at bay.

"Yeah?" I replied, moving close to his side, my face lingering near his.

"I love you, you stubborn and reckless human." I chuckled at him, and quickly moved my lips to meet his.

It was reassuring and soft, his lips moving soothingly against my own as my heart swelled for Fili. He was alive, and he was mine. I moved from him reluctantly, placing my lips on his forehead instead.

"I love you too, you old Dwarf."

"You mispronounced 'good-looking'," he mumbled before drifting off into sleep once more.

For the first time in four days, I was able to fall asleep without the mind-numbing fear that they wouldn't be there when I woke up.

It was the following day that Kili and Josh regained consciousness, while only temporarily. The first word that Kili spoke was his brother's name. I told him that Fili was alive, and with those words and a smile on his face, he fell back into a deep sleep. I had worried at first, until he begun to snore loudly.

Josh had woken later that night with a moan, and I quickly helped him take a drink of the water I had stored in the tent.

"Amelia?" He whispered, opening his eyes up to look at me. Seeing his bright green eyes once more caused me to cry soundlessly, smiling as he begun to ask me questions.

The first was, unsurprisingly, a question regarding my visible injuries.

"What happened to your face?" He whispered, concern audible in his weak voice.

"You know, the usual. Fighting Orcs and Goblins, travelling across dimensions into other realms, getting chased by police." He looked at me in bewilderment, and I had to compose myself slightly before I could tell him what happened in all seriousness.

He couldn't believe what I had told him, especially about our father being in jail. Josh was glad that he was, there though my sudden reappearance would probably mean he would get back out.

It was a damn shame and both of us agreed.

He had visibly paled and went silent when I told him about ending up in Middle Earth's future. Knowing that he was supposed to die brought a sudden realisation to his close call, and he became terrified with how near he had been.

Once I had finished telling him about what had happened, including the dream I had while I was asleep after being drugged, I begun to absolutely grill him about being such a fool and following the company into the battle.

"I had to help them." He simply said, his eyes watering after my emotional lecture of 'I almost lost you so don't ever do that to me again."

He would have been awake for about an hour before he dozed off again.

Once the three of them begun to wake more and more often, the company came and visited them frequently. It was about two weeks after the battle when there would be at least two other members of the company in the tent at any one time.

I enjoyed it though, and so did Josh, Fili and Kili. Their spirits improved with their health, and they slowly began to sit up, then stand up and then walk.

They were encouraged by the company, though I would most often cut short their attempts at walking through the tent, as I was still worried that they would tear their wounds back open or collapse from the exertion.

Of course, I was labelled a destroyer of the fun.

"Come on, lass! Let them walk a little further today!" Bofur would exclaim, followed by echoes of agreement. I would just glare at them, not having any of it.

"I don't suppose you will be the one to restitch their wounds when they tear open, will you Bofur?" After that, they didn't disagree when I would order Fili, Kili or Josh back to bed.

I was the most troubled about Kili, because his stomach would be easier to tear open if he were to move the wrong way. Despite my fears, he still proved to heal well. The gash across his face was still red and raw, and his stomach still worrying, but the wounds were healing quickly.

We had all begun to worry about Thorin at this point. It had been over two weeks and he still didn't stir from his slumber. His chest had begun to slowly heal, and there was no sign of infection, but I was worried because he had literally died for a few minutes. I prayed and prayed that there would be no damage to his mind from the brief lack of oxygen.

On the afternoon of the fifteenth day, he woke up. I had been in the tent with most of the company, when Oin came inside and asked for my presence. Looking back at the company with a pretend glare and a strong voice, I spoke to each of them.

"If I come back to find you encouraging those three to walk around again, I will take it upon myself to kick each of your asses, beginning with Bofur." There was a mock offended 'oi!' from Bofur as I left the tent, a small smirk on my lips.

Oin walked brusquely back to Thorin's tent with me in tow, though I quickly begun to feel worried. Was something wrong?

"What's happened Oin?" I questioned hesitantly.

"Thorin has woken," was all he said, and I felt overwhelmingly scared. What if he had been permanently injured from my attempts at saving him? Was bringing him back done in vain?

We entered the tent, and I saw the King under the Mountain lying with his eyes trained on the ceiling of the tent. Cautiously I approached, though his head turned to face me as soon as I came within his vision.

"Miss Amelia," He spoke, his voice still powerful despite the weakness of it.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief. He seemed fine, excepting the wounds that spread across his chest.

"I'm so glad you're awake, Thorin.. It's been weeks.." He nodded slightly, and his guarded expression changed significantly. It brought me back to the day I had spoken to him on the dock in Lake Town. It became softer, more readable and reachable.

"I would like to thank you for many things Amelia, and also apologise. I treated you with disrespect and anger the last time we spoke. I couldn't see past the Arkenstone, and I was blinded to the risks poised to the lives of not only the company, but those in Lake Town who had helped us get to Erebor."

I was shocked. It was all I could do not to gape my jaw in surprise as he continued.

"In this, I must thank you. You fought to make me see reason, when I could see nothing else. I am indebted to you for your courage in not only standing up to me, but saving the lives of myself and my nephews."

"Oin has told me of what you had to do in order to bring back the medicine needed. I cannot imagine that would have been easy for you, to go back to the world where you had found an escape from. Your loyalty and stubbornness in protecting the members of this company when I failed to, is something that I will never forget."

"When I fell on the battle field, I saw my nephews and your brother also fall in my defence before I succumbed to the darkness. That will be imprinted in my mind and haunt my memories for all my life. In that moment, I realised that I would give up the Arkenstone and all the gold under the mountain a thousand times over in order to keep my family safe. "

"It should not have taken me so long to realise the importance of the company over my father's jewels. I am indebted to you for what you have done for this family. If there is anything I can do for you, I will endeavour to."

Tears brimmed my eyes at his words. Finally, _finally_ he was realising. I felt as though I had won, as though _we_ had won. Thorin, the father figure of Fili and Kili, was finally realising his faults and understanding how much more important family was than substance.

The emotion of his words struck me deep; I hadn't been able to lead my own father into realising what was more important, but I had saved the Durin brothers from the same pain Josh and I had felt.

This accomplishment was something that made me feel almost as relieved as being able to help save them.

At that moment, I felt whole.

I felt _complete._

Smiling down at him, I realised that I knew exactly what I wanted him to do.

"Well, there is one thing.."

After a lengthy chat with Thorin, which ended in a near-interrogation and an overload of information, I wandered back to the other tent with the two tiny pieces of metal clasped tightly in my palm. The sky had already become dark, and the only light to guide me was from the stars and moon that illuminated the night sky. Entering the tent, I cried out with the shock of there being no one there.

They were all gone.

In a rush, I left the tent, glancing down the rows of tents in an attempt to find where they could be.

It took but seconds for me to recognise the booming chorus of laughter from the familiar voices of the company. I moved quickly through the tents before me, and came to a rather large opening of space.

In the middle, I saw the company surrounding a fire that was ablaze in the centre of the circle. They were laughing, eating and singing amongst themselves, and I smiled at them. I forgot about their injuries for the moment, relishing in the normality of the sight before me.

I felt my heart warm over at the thought.

_Twelve Dwarves, a Hobbit, a Human and a Wizard; yep, that was normal to me now. _

That was comfortable. That was home.

"You have exceeded expectations of all, including yourself I daresay." I almost didn't realise the Wizard standing at my side until the older man spoke. I smiled up at him, glad that he was still here and he was alright.

He had been with me at the beginning of this unexpected journey, and it seemed right that he was here at my side at the end.

_It's not the end though; not really_, I thought to myself.

"I'm just glad that they are alright." I looked up again to Gandalf, and he had a small frown on his face. Somehow I knew what he was thinking. It was the same expression I had seen before.

"You're leaving us again soon, aren't you?" He looked down at me sadly and nodded. I felt my own happiness extinguish momentarily, until he spoke again.

"My place in this journey finished the moment the battle was won. I will stay for a while longer, so as to say goodbye to my dear friends, but I have far distant lands to travel. There is still darkness in this world, and I mean to find it."

"Though my heart has been filled with hope as I ponder on the future, for I see that nothing is set in stone, not truly." He gave me a knowing look, before continuing. "I have seen courage and strength in the unlikeliest of places, and this knowledge brings me comfort and fills me with my own courage."

I turned back to the company and smiled. I didn't want him to leave, and I knew it would break my heart when he did. However, I also knew that I would still have the company, and Gandalf would always be there if I needed him.

He had saved Josh and I, and believed in us from the start. I owed him more than he would ever know.

"I believe there is something that you must discuss with a certain member of the company." He whispered almost mischievously, and I smiled, nervously moving from Gandalf's side to the camp fire where the company sat.

"What did I tell you guys?" I yelled out, causing some of the Dwarves to jump. With a faux anger to my voice, I continued. "Alright, Bofur, come here. I warned you."

"Wait, Miss Amelia! It was Nori's idea, I swear on Durin's beard!"

"Oi, it was not! Blame Bofur, not me!"

"Thanks Nori!"

I gave up the façade and just laughed, moving closer to where Fili was sitting, wrapped in a blanket that was atop his shoulders.

"You guys shouldn't be out here though. You almost died a week ago." My concern was real this time, and it threw a damper on the company's fun. It was Balin that stood and faced me, his expression solemn.

"Aye, Amelia. They would have died if not for you. We are all in your debt for saving the line of Durin and your own brother." He nodded deeply to me then, and each of the company lowered their own heads towards me.

It wasn't all me though. I wouldn't have done it by myself.

"If it wasn't for Oin, Ori, Dwalin and Bilbo who helped me, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I couldn't have done it alone." Dwalin and Bilbo both argued my words, but I brushed them off.

It wasn't my abilities that got them this far, because I didn't have any abilities to speak of. I wasn't anything terribly special; I was just an average person. My only advantage in all of this was my incredible stubbornness and determination not to give up.

I continued to stand, and cleared my throat to speak again. According to Thorin, this was something that the whole company needed to hear. They had been there from the start, and their blessings were just as important as Thorin's, apparently.

Clutching the metal beads in my hand, I stood up a little straighter, and looked at each of the company.

"I just came from Thorin's tent guys; he's finally awake." There was an explosion of cheers that didn't stop for a long time, before I managed to talk again.

"You can speak to him in the morning, but there is something that I discussed with Thorin this afternoon. It's something that's important to not only me, but to someone else, and I wanted to say in front of all of you."

I looked at every member of the company, gauging their expressions. Each one of them watched me in anticipation, their eyes filled with curiosity. With one hand I played with the metal beads within my fingers, and the other I fiddled anxiously with the bracelet at my wrist.

"Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain of the year 2941 of the Third Age, has given his blessing for Fili, Son of Dis, Heir to Erebor, to court Amelia Cosgrove, daughter of Jessica, daughter of the other-realm." I recited the words that Thorin had told me to speak, with as much confidence and power as I was able to muster, even though I felt my insides turn to jelly.

The company were silent for a moment, as I expected them to be. Thorin had told me that it should be Fili, if not Thorin to speak the words. I turned to an absolutely speechless Fili, who looked at me with wide, shocked eyes.

"Yes, yes, I know, it should be a male to speak those words, but I haven't been one to follow tradition or ignore sexist bullshit when I saw it, so why would I start now." My anxiety grew ten-fold when the silence expanded for several more seconds, before it erupted in a chorus of cheers and shouts. I couldn't understand most of what they were saying, but it didn't faze me at that moment.

The only thing I cared for were Fili's eyes that showed a combination of emotions.

Happiness.

Elation.

Love.

He stood suddenly despite his injuries, and in one swift movement picked me off of the ground and spun me around in his arms.

"Fili!" I cried in surprise, half-laughing but also half worried about his wounds. He lowered me back onto my feet, and I spoke again.

"You're going to get yourself hur-" I wasn't able to finish my sentence, as he swiftly moved his mouth to mine. His arms quickly wrapped around my waist, holding me to him in a near unbreakable bond. The movements were so sudden that it took me longer than I would have liked to return the kiss, melting my lips into his own.

There were cheers from the company surrounding us, but it was in the background, fading and unclear.

All I knew was Fili, and all I felt was him.

The embrace was intense though short lived, and it was to my dismay that he pulled away, a triumphant expression filling his beautiful face.

I held out my hands to show him the two beads that Thorin had unclasped from his own braids and given to me. He had told me that it was custom for the Elder to pass down his own metal beads to those he was blessing. The gesture made me feel suddenly inadequate for the honour of what he was doing; I knew that a Dwarven braid was of extreme importance, and for Thorin to relinquish his own for Fili and I was beyond incredible.

Fili looked at them with a nervous hesitation, before taking one between his fingers and moving his hands slowly to the hair at my right temple. Everyone had gone silent as Fili begun to braid my hair, and my breath caught in my throat as I watched him intently. His steady fingers quickly finished and clasped the bead around the section of now intricately woven hair.

It was my turn then and my hands shook with nervousness. I could feel not only everyone's eyes on me, but Fili's, which seemed to burn a hole through my chest. I took a large section of hair on his right side, which lay behind the small braid that already rested at his temple. I'm sure my braiding skills were terrible compared to Fili's but I managed to finish and clasp the bead in his hair.

My attention began to encompass the rest of the company once more as they cheered, and we sat down on the ground in between Josh and Kili, who were grinning at us and each other.

Fili wrapped the blanket over us both, and we huddled together against the chill of the breeze, though relished in the exuberant atmosphere of the company.

It seemed as though the air around us radiated a warmth that almost extinguished the cold of the breeze.

Bombur soon began to pass out pieces of bread for us to eat. My hunger seemed to return the moment I saw the food, and I remembered that I hadn't eaten very little over the past few weeks. My body had been much too stressed, but at that moment I felt the anxiety lift from my heart, as if the cloud of turmoil had blown away in the breeze.

The darkness seeped out of my being, out of my soul.

I felt relief.

I felt joy.

I felt at ease.

Letting out a contented sigh, I looked into each face of those within the company.

Gandalf sat slightly out of the loose circle, smoking on his pipe from the shadows as he too, watched the company. His eyes sparkled as he gazed at us, a small smile dancing at his lips.

Bombur was busy eating the remaining squares of bread that sat in front of him, silently listening to his brother as he started to tell a story.

The brother in question, Bofur, was beginning an extravagant story of how he used his mattock to take the heads clean off of three Orcs at once during the battle. His face lit up comically, his eyes glistening as he roped each one of us into his tale.

Bifur watched his cousin from across the circle as he held several fingers to the axe that was still lodged in his forehead. His expression was unreadable, though his eyes never strayed from both Bombur and Bofur.

Ori sat close between Dori and Bilbo, hands frantically moving a pencil across his notebook as Bofur spoke. The curiosity and eagerness in his face was all too easy to see, despite the high probability Bofur was making up most of what he was saying.

Dori looked between Ori and Bofur with a frown on his face, though I could see a small smile there when his gaze rested on his younger brother. He was proud of Ori, of the Dwarf who he had raised as almost his own.

Nori's own expression mirrored Dori's, though it was broken by the odd moment here and there where he pinched several pieces of bread from Bombur when the Dwarf wasn't looking. Nori winked at me when he realised I was the only one that picked up on his theft, and threw me a piece.

I ate the food gratefully, looking at my Hobbit friend who sat across from me with a steaming cup of tea in his hands. He gazed into the fire with a relaxed smile on his face. He looked as content as I felt; when he lifted his eyes and found mine, I smiled greatly at him in an attempt to encompass all of the love I had for my best friend. He mirrored it, and I soon found myself looking to the others.

Dwalin sat next to Balin, roaring in laughter at the story being told to us all. _Bofur and his theatrics_, I thought. He looked happier than I had seen him since I had known him. No longer was he the scary, intimidating Dwarf that seemed cold and fierce. I had seen him for what he really was; I had seen the love he held for the Durin family, and the pain that seeing them close to death caused him.

Balin smirked at Dwalin's laughter, the white haired Dwarf chuckling almost soundlessly to himself.

Gloin and Oin sat next to each other, talking between themselves and only looking up when the company would erupt in laughter. The tension in Oin's shoulders had become infinitesimal since Thorin waking; I had almost forgotten what he had looked like when he smiled. Gloin played with a pendant within his hands, and I knew that it was the locket that held drawings of his wife and son. I hoped that I would be able to meet them soon.

Looking to my left, Josh's eyes were sparkling as he was completely enthralled in Bofur's story. He had regained most of the colour in his face, and while he had lost some weight, he was beginning to look much healthier. My brother was alive and as well as he had ever been.

Kili's expression was almost identical to Josh's, though a pipe dangled between the young Durin's lips. He roared with laughter along with the others, his brown eyes reflecting nothing but happiness and mirth.

Finally, I looked up at Fili who was sitting close beside me. With the orange and yellow glows of the fire licking at his face, he was watching Bofur with a lopsided smirk that lay almost hidden beneath his braided moustache.

I watched the moments where his eyes would light up, or his eyebrows would quirk and even when he glanced down at me and grinned, catching me as I watched him.

The truth was, I had never felt more at home than I did at that moment. I was with the people- _well, the Dwarves, Human, Hobbit and Wizard_- that I felt the happiest with, more than anyone else I had ever known.

They had been the cause of my happiness and heartbreak.

They had seen me when I felt on top of the world, and they had been there to pick me up when I felt buried beneath it.

They had fought with me, against me, and beside me each step of this journey.

We had seen monsters and worlds brand new to our eyes, and we had embraced the unknown and faced the darkest of days together.

They had saved my life in more ways than one, and I would not take this new life they had given me for granted.

Not for one moment.

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><p><strong>Oh my glob you guys, I only have one more chapter of this story left! It makes me so happy to have finished my FIRST STORY EVER, but it is also sad knowing that I have come to the end of this incredible journey of writing Amelia's adventure.<strong>

**Thank you so, so much for all of the beautiful and critical reviews! They have helped me to improve my work and I really appreciate you letting me know when I have written something that isn't in character or doesn't flow well. So thank you again to _Ladymoonscar, Shadowsammy, Fardreamer333, Miriel Tolkien, luvgirl101, Marina Oakenshield _and_ brynpetals_ for your amazing support! I can't thank you all enough, honestly :)**

***The lyrics that Amelia sings in this chapter are from The Amity Affliction's song Pabst Blue Ribbon On Ice.***

**This is definitely not going to be my last fanfic- I am hoping to start another one soon, and I will update through and also through my instagram (thefinalriotxx) so if you would like to see more, you can follow me on both accounts :)**

**Please, please review my lovely followers and supporters! You have all been incredible, and I can't wait to share the final chapter with you all. Have a great day!**


	30. Pinky Swears: Le Epilogue

**I tried to wait a while before I uploaded this chapter, but I couldn't hold it in any longer! Enjoy!**

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><p>The snow had begun to melt from the slopes of the mountainside, trickling into small streams that ran from the base. The brooks bent and flowed through the green land until it met the Great Lake that rested at the foot of Erebor and Dale.<p>

The serenity of the Great Lake only reached the surface of the still-blue body. Even travellers were not deceived by its beauty; stories had travelled far and wide of what lay at the bottom of this Lake, and none dared to dwell near to such an evil.

Smaug had been felled for little over eight years, yet Men and Dwarves alike feared his final resting place. The town of Esgaroth had not been rebuilt. Too great was the foreboding and trepidation in the minds of Men that they refused to build their livelihoods over the remains of the dragon, irregardless of whether it ceased to breathe or not.

Out of the destruction of Esgaroth, Dale rose as would a seedling through the ashes of a fire-ravaged forest. The city of Dale was rebuilt, the height of its valour and glory surpassing even the greatest days preceding Smaug's attack.

It was splendid and magical. The beauty of the city rebuilt brought people from far across Middle Earth; the precious jewellery and heavenly interwoven silks were of great value, as were the friendships of those who dwelt there.

Bard the Bowman, descendent of Girion, became the rightful Lord of Dale. It was after the Master of Laketown disappeared before the Great Battle in which the Men of Esgaroth followed Bard to Dale. He dealt his share of Erebor generously and cared for the people under his Lordship, for he was kind of heart and held more compassion in his soul than most men combined.

There he ruled as less of a King, and more of a friend and a protector. He had truly been the guardian of the Men of the North during the battle and for all the time after.

The days of misery in Laketown were over, and the era of happiness and peace were celebrated throughout the streets of their new city. However, Dale was not the only reclaimed settlement to be enjoying the newfound prosperity and health of the people that it sheltered.

Erebor, City of the Lonely Mountain had grown in its riches, though these riches were not those of gold pieces and precious gems. Of course, the Dwarves that resided there treasured their wealth as only Dwarves did. However, they had found themselves blessed in their second chance to live in one of the Great Kingdoms of old.

A King once fixed in his ways had come near to losing something much more precious to him than all of the riches of the Mountain. This had been one of two turning points in his fate. He had lived to regret the choices that he had made, but died before he was able to mend the error of his ways.

Whether wholly by chance, or due to the will of an unknown inhabitant, two incredulous beings found themselves in Middle Earth. In a bid to save those who were, and who had become family to her, Amelia Cosgrove had risked many things to complete a near impossible task.

That was when the second turning point in his fate occurred. Lady Amelia had brought Thorin Oakenshield back from where only the dead roamed the other-world.

This second chance at life was one Thorin did not take for granted. It took many weeks for his health to return, though when it did, he willingly gave Bard the Bowman a share of the gold within Erebor.

Those that remained from the Mirkwood guard after the battle, stayed with their King Thranduil until Thorin had relinquished a share of his treasure. Thorin had felt more grudgingly towards cooperation with the Elves than he did to give away his gems.

Eventually, Thorin parted with the poison to his mind and the bane of the line of Durin's existence.

The Arkenstone was gifted to King Thranduil, along with some lesser gems and jewels. Once received, the Elves hesitated no further in returning to their Halls within Mirkwood. The cause of Thorin's sickness no longer held his mind, but rather the hearts of the Elves.

With Erebor free of the darkness that both Smaug and the Arkenstone emitted, Thorin's mind was clearer than it had been in many years. The regret of his actions and the memory of his nephews falling to defend him still haunted his memory, though it served as a driver for the King's new rule.

He vowed he would not put the allure of gems and gold before the importance and value of his family's lives, and since recovering his full strength after the battle, he never did.

It was in that, that the cities of Erebor and Dale so prospered for years and years. The newfound friendships forged in death and sacrifice were bonds that stood the test of time far more readily than the rusted metal goblets that had filled the Halls of Erebor.

Once more, the Men of the North and the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain stood as one.

Soon after the Battle of Five Armies, messengers were sent to the Blue Mountains of the West and the Iron Hills of the North. The Kingdom of Durin newly restored was to become the new home to Dwarves from all provinces.

Caravans from the Blue Mountains arrived at Erebor eight months after the Battle; the first group to arrive was led by the powerful and very bearded Dis, sister of Thorin and mother of Fili and Kili.

She had heard of what happened to her family, and had moved the Dwarves toward Erebor at an alarming rate; such a journey could take over a year to complete, but no realm could withstand the wrath of a mother once filled with news of the near deaths of both her children, and her brother.

That was something that Lady Amelia pondered over as moved through the flowing markets of Dale. Colours of violet, orange and green flooded her vision, as she was greeted warmly by all who passed her. She had become a regular to the city, and not just for the beautiful markets that she enjoyed visiting.

Amelia's experience during the Battle of Five Armies proved to be beneficial in her life succeeding the war. Under the guidance and mentoring of Oin, her skills in the medicinal herbs found in Middle Earth expanded and added to her knowledge of medicine from the modern world that she once knew. Through her skills and compassionate demeanour, she was seen as quite valuable in both Erebor and Dale.

Despite her duties and love of the markets of Dale, even those were not the only reasons she travelled to the city of Men.

Quite often she would meet with those who she had become close friends with over the years, such as Tani, Ildur and Cersa. The family of three were held close to her heart, and her whole being was warmed to see the young siblings grow before her eyes.

She felt as though it were just yesterday that she was sneaking the two baked cakes and telling them stories of far distant lands.

Now, they were grown young adults. Ildur had turned eighteen only recently, and Amelia had spent the day with the family in celebration. Cersa was sixteen years of age, and was growing into a beautiful young woman. She held not only the physical traits of her mother, but the benevolence and quiet strength that Tani radiated.

This day, however, Amelia had a special errand to run. She had to visit someone even closer to her than the family, and pick up some things from him.

Her smile didn't falter as she walked up the stairs that she had travelled many times, though it in fact grew when she heard the squeals from within the third-storey house that overlooked most of Dale. It was not impressive or extravagant, but it was home to the family that lived there.

She did not need to knock, though Amelia always enjoyed doing so as she knew the response that would result when she did.

With a loud tap on the wooden door, there was but a seconds silence before she heard the voices that completed her.

"Mum! Mum is here!" The door flew open before her as a blur of gold and brown came bounding into her arms.

Amelia's chiming laughter filled the air; she bent down quickly and wrapped her arms around the three small bodies, picking them up with ease and spinning them around within her grip. Each one of them giggled and squealed within her hold as she peppered their faces and heads with kisses.

"Anyone would believe I don't look after them, with such a warm welcome you receive!" Amelia gently placed the three children back on their feet, standing up to face her brother. He had barely aged since the day they had found themselves in the Shire, but in many senses he looked much older. His face was still youthful, yet he had grown from his lanky form. Now, he stood broad and masculine, very much towering over his younger sister. She had a feeling that spending most of his days with his Dwarven family had much to do with his rugged appearance.

Even so, it was still the Joshua that Amelia knew. His whole demeanour reflected the optimistic and selfless teenager that she had been with on the beginning of their journey into Middle Earth. That much had not changed at all.

"It could be argued that you look after them too well. I know all about the cakes that you treat them to while they are here!" replied Amelia, a smile dancing on her thin lips. The children had continued to play throughout the house as Amelia moved to her younger brother. He wrapped his arms around her small body, encompassing her tightly into a hug.

He had always wondered why she was just so short, though deep down he had thought that it was meant to be.

"How is my dear brother-in-law faring?" Josh exclaimed after letting Amelia go. She smiled deeply then, an incredible air of love filling her expression. Knowing that Amelia was as happy as she had been the day that Fili had begun to court her all those years ago brought much happiness to Josh.

"Oh, he is fine. Complaining about his training with Thorin of how to be a King, and always missing his three trouble makers." Amelia smirked at Josh, before her gaze rested on her three children that now sat playing games by the window.

The happiness that Amelia felt in seeing her young ones was something that could not be described, as she could not put into words herself. Little over seven years ago, she had found out that she had fallen pregnant with babe. The whole of Erebor had been in an absolute eruption of happiness and excitement; the celebrations had lasted weeks in the news that the heir to the throne was soon to have a child of his own.

It wasn't known until six and a half years ago, that Lady Amelia had been carrying two children within her. Even Oin had not realised, until he had pulled a boy and a girl from Amelia's body.

The health of Fili's wife was at a precarious stage after giving birth to the two. It was unsure whether she would survive the ordeal, though the Company of Thorin Oakenshield would not let death take her. By her side they stayed, until she was well and conscious once more.

Twins, she had borne; one boy and one girl. Amelia watched them with pride at that moment. Fáin had been named after Fili's deceased father. His eyes shone the same blue as Fili's, yet his hair was the same chocolate brown of Amelia and Josh, and even Kili. Jessika was named after Joshua and Amelia's mother; her eyes shone green, but her hair was as golden as the mane of her father.

The third child had been born two years later; he was just over four years old. The resemblance of young Bilbo to his father was incredible. His eyes were sky blue and his face was framed within blonde locks that fell down to his shoulders in waves.

Amelia had felt it fitting to name him after her brave best friend, and Fili had agreed wholeheartedly.

"And how is my sister-in-law?" Amelia winked, and Josh beckoned his sister into the kitchen. There stood Sigrid by the window, filling a pot with new herbs.

"Sister!" Sigrid called, turning to face Amelia as her swollen belly became visible. With a long hug, Amelia let go to coo at the baby within Sigrid's stomach. Amelia had so loved the feeling of a child within her, and relished in the moments she visited Sigrid so as to fuss over her brother's wife.

"I cannot wait to meet the little one!" Amelia exclaimed, pressing her cheek against the Sigrid's belly button. The oldest daughter of Bard laughed at Amelia, not at all bothered about the lack of private space. Her sister by marriage had always been close to her, but as soon as news of the baby came, so did a bond that was strengthened by motherhood.

"Soon he, or she, will be here! They are moving more and more within my belly." The two smiled in unison, the love held for one another filling the air of the small home.

"I must be getting off, unfortunately. It won't be long before nightfall." Amelia said, quickly hugging Sigrid once more before moving back into the lounge room to take her children within her arms. Bilbo sat on her hip, while she held the hands of Fain and Jessika.

"Take care, Amelia. I will see you soon." Josh bent down and kissed her forehead, followed by a series of kisses and hugs for his nephews and niece.

"You too. No getting into trouble without me, alright?" He smirked at her with a boyish grin that wasn't quite so boyish anymore. Almost reluctantly, Amelia said her goodbyes and moved back down the stairs and through the markets with her children in tow.

Bilbo sat quietly within her arms, playing with the many braids that now laced Amelia's hair. Each one represented a new stage in her life; her courtship, her marriage with Fili and the birth of each of her children. The young boy was so much like Fili in looks, but with a quieter disposition than his two older siblings. Amelia thought that he was much like Bilbo in some ways.

She felt a pang of sadness then, despite all of the joys that surrounded her. Bilbo had travelled back to the shire with Gandalf the Grey five weeks after the Battle had ceased. They had stayed while Thorin's company and Dain's army had moved back into Erebor and begun restorations, though the little hobbit grew restless.

He had journeyed across his realm, into darkness and into the unknown; he had faced death many times and lived another day, but he longed for quieter days in the Shire. Gandalf too, had matters to attend to. There was a great sadness on the day that the Wizard and the Hobbit left. While Dwarves are stubborn and rarely succumb to such emotions, many tears were shed when farewelling their dear friends.

Amelia and Joshua in particular were quite miserable, for it was Gandalf and Bilbo who had found them and sheltered them on their first unexpected night in Middle Earth. They had been together each day for close to a year, and it was hard to say goodbye.

Gandalf had returned a year later for the wedding of Fili and Amelia, as there were great celebrations in Erebor and Dale alike. Joshua and Sigrid's marriage also drew in the old Wizard, as well as copious amounts of feasting and drinking that spread through both cities.

Bilbo had not returned, though Amelia held out hope that she would see him once more. They spoke through letters, however it would be months between receiving a new message from one another. While Bilbo enjoyed his life in the Shire, he could not help but miss the adventure and long for the company of Dwarves as opposed to the placated Hobbit-folk.

Jessika and Fain had let go of Amelia's hands as soon as they had left the city of Dale and wandered up the well-travelled road to Erebor's Front Gate. It was not a long walk, though it seemed much more tiring for Amelia as she maintained a quick pace so as to keep close to the twin siblings who ran and further up the path.

"Did you have a good day, my little one?" Amelia cooed to Bilbo. The young boy looked up at his mother with a shy smile, nodding his head wordlessly. She hummed in reply and begun to sing an old Dwarven song to Bilbo. In response, he tucked his head into the crook of her neck and closed his eyes. He liked listening to his mother sing, though it often sent him off to sleep.

The twins had reached the Front Gate minutes before Amelia had, though she did not worry. Everyone within the Dwarven Kingdom knew the two children as well as they knew their love for games and trouble-making.

Dis had always told Amelia how much she was reminded of Fili and Kili through Jessika and Fain. Amelia had grown to love Dis immensely. She was a strong and hard woman, much as her brother was, though her heart was overflowing with love for her family. She had been stupefied by the news that Fili had begun to court a human, and could not fathom what in Durin's name had gotten into her eldest son.

However, it was through learning what the young human girl had done to save Thorin, Fili and Kili that had initially held Amelia in the highest of respects in Dis' mind. In finally meeting Amelia was when she had found a way into the Dwarven mothers' heart, for the human girl was as stubborn and as fiercely loyal as any Dwarf ever was.

Amelia had been watching the two chase one another at the foot of the open Front Gate, and she saw what was about to happen before the children realised. She chuckled to herself as two familiar Dwarves walked quickly out of the Mountain and scooped Jessika and Fáin up in their arms.

The twins squealed in surprise and shock, frantically trying to move from the arms of Dwalin and Kili before they finally realised who had taken hold of them. Once they did figure it out, they cried in excitement.

"Uncle Kili! Uncle Dwalin!" The two exclaimed as they threw their arms around the older Dwarves. Amelia smiled fondly as she reached two of her closest friends; they had in fact become like brothers to her, and she cherished their presence more than anything in the world.

Dwalin threw Jessika up in the air, catching the young girl with ease as she giggled and laughed in surprise. Fáin turned to Kili with a pointed look, before the older Dwarf relented and too begun to throw the boy into the air.

A jagged scar ran down Kili's face, ending at his chin which was now thickly covered with a dark beard. Despite the outwardly appearance that seemed almost intimidating, Amelia knew Kili as well as she knew herself. Even though he had grown more serious after the near-death experiences of himself and his family, he was still much of the reckless young Dwarf that she had met in Bag End. She was relieved that war had not caused him to become hard and guarded.

Dwalin smiled as he saw Amelia; she had almost become like a daughter to him, and he was thankful to Mahal for the unexpected appearance of Amelia and Joshua those years ago.

It had taken him a long time to grow to like her; for many months, he had thought that she was foolish, unintelligent and unskilled in almost everything that was essential in Middle Earth. However, she had proven herself as quite resourceful, and had saved the two boys that he had helped Thorin and Dis raise.

That was something that he would never forget, even if he were to live to be three-hundred years old.

"We were wondering when our favourite children would be back!" Kili exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around the now-giggling Fáin.

Amelia, Dwalin and Kili moved back into the halls with the three children in their arms. It had begun to grow late in the evening, and the halls became busy with Dwarves moving from the mines and markets to their own homes.

They walked through halls and up stairs, to the chambers where the Durin family resided. Their conversation had come to a standstill as they heard laughter from the main living room, and Amelia's heart leapt through her chest in recognition of one voice in particular.

Entering the home, all three children jumped from the arms in which they were held in order to run to the blonde bearded dwarf who stood by the fireplace with his Uncle. The sudden influx of children nearly overwhelmed him, though he knelt down and hugged Jessika, Fáin and Bilbo tightly. His days were long, and his training as heir of Erebor boring and near mind-numbing.

Fili would much rather be with his children and wife, though he was grateful to Mahal for blessing him with the time he did have with the four. He smirked at Amelia while he sat on the ground and begun to play with the three kids. She looked beautiful. She had always been intriguing, ever since he first met her, but it was only after the Company and Dain's army had taken back Erebor that she seemed to come into her own.

She radiated strength and confidence now, and that made her the most beautiful creature in Fili's eyes.

Amelia moved into the kitchen and prepared a large meal for her family, smiling to herself as she heard the laughter from Fili, Kili, Fain, Jessika and Bilbo. The noises gave her such a remarkable feeling of happiness. She was reminded then of Fili's initial fear in becoming a father; he knew of Amelia's previous life and was afraid he would make mistakes as Amelia's father had. His fear was unfounded, she thought. He cared deeply for his children even before they had left Amelia's womb, and the love held for his family extended deeper than anything else in their world.

Most nights, it wouldn't just be Amelia, Fili and the children that dined in their home; usually a few other members of the Company would join them, and it felt as though there was a celebration each night.

They didn't mind that at all. Instead, they embraced and adored the company.

It was late after the meal had been finished, that Thorin, Dwalin and Kili had retired to their own chambers. Young Bilbo had fallen asleep in Amelia's lap soon after he had eaten, and Jessika and Fáin were not far off.

Amelia carried her youngest into the bedroom that the three children shared, as Fili rounded up the oldest two and moved them into their own beds.

Usually Fili or Amelia would read them a story or sing a song to lull them into sleep, though that night they had already fallen into the realm of dreams as soon as their heads fell onto their pillows.

Amelia was grateful for the small respite. She felt as though she hadn't seen Fili in much too long, and Fili felt the same way.

After closing the bedroom door silently, Amelia was almost shocked when Fili picked her easily from the ground, wrapping his arms around her lower waist as he did so.

"Fili, put me down this instant." She chided playfully, a smirk growing on her lips as he walked slowly to their bedroom.

"What will you do if I do not?" He murmured teasingly, his smirk mirroring her own. She looked deeply at him then, searching his face as though she hadn't seen him for an eternity. There were small lines that had begun to stretch from the corners of his eyes and across his forehead, though she found that she loved that immensely. His beard had grown incredibly, and had now been braided intricately as were the braids that still hung from his moustache.

"Then I may have to do this." Amelia continued, her voice conveying a double meaning as she wrapped her legs around his waist and moved her lips to his.

There was no hesitation between the two, and quickly the kiss escalated into a blazing intensity that burnt through both Amelia and Fili.

Suddenly, Fili moved his lips away from Amelia. The movement caused her to frown, and she did not hesitate in expressing her annoyance.

Fili simply smirked back at her, before he became very serious.

"I'm sorry for all this time I have been spending with Thorin, learning the ways of his Kingship. I would much rather be here with you and the three little ones." He sighed then, his expression becoming sad.

"I wish you were as well, but there isn't anything we can do about that. It doesn't change anything at all. We will still be here at the end of each day."

"I'm afraid that they think of me less because I am away so much."

"They don't. They love you more than anything, as do I. That much will never change." He relaxed visibly at her words, the cheeky, lopsided smirk returning to his lips.

"Do you swear?" She too returned his playful smile, before replying with the simple words that only held meaning when spoken between the unlikely pair.

"I pinky swear."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, you guys. That is it! I thought a long time about what perspective I would write this from, though in the end third person has turned out the best. It encompasses and concludes everything nicely I think, and I am really over the moon with how I have ended it.<strong>

**After watching the BOTFA teaser trailer, I am so glad I wrote this fic if only for the fact that I need a universe in which Thorin, Fili and Kili survive! **

**I cannot believe it is the end though! It makes me incredibly sad; I don't want to leave this fic behind! **

**There is a possibility that I may further explore this AU I have created in a sequel, told from the perspective of another OC. I am still contemplating on the storyline of this or whether I will just start from a blank slate, but only time will tell! I will post any new fics through this account though.**

**Thank you so, so much for all of your support, each and every one of you. Your kind words and constructive criticism have helped and motivated me beyond my ability to express _just_ how grateful I am for all of you. So again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!**

**And once again, PLEASE review and let me know how you found the ending!**

**Best wishes to all of you beautiful people,**

**Krysta.**


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